1
Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA.
2
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
Correspondence should be addressed to Jonathan W. Yewdell jyewdell@nih.gov
CD8+ T cells play an important role in immunity to viruses. Just how important these cells are is demonstrated by the evolution of viral strategies for blocking the generation or display of peptide−major histocompatibility complex class I complexes on the surfaces of virus-infected cells. Here, we focus on viral interference with antigen presentation; in particular we consider the importance (and difficulty) of establishing the evolutionary significance (that is, the ability to enhance viral transmission) of viral gene products that interfere with antigen presentation in vitro.
