Expression of cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen and E-selectin ligand by circulating human memory CD4+ T lymphocytes specific for herpes simplex virus type 2.

Virus-specific memory T lymphocytes traffic to sites of viral infection. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T lymphocytes differ with regard to their homing kinetics to infected tissues. We studied the expression of cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA) and E-selectin ligand (ESL) by HSV-2-specific CD4(+) T lymphocytes. Virus-reactive T lymphocytes were identified ex vivo by CD154 or interferon-gamma up-regulation. We detected selective expression of CLA by HSV-2-reactive CD4(+) T lymphocytes, but at levels lower than those we previously observed for CD8(+) T lymphocytes. Short-term HSV-2-reactive CD4(+) lines generated from peripheral-blood mononuclear cells preferentially express CLA, compared with cytomegalovirus- or influenza-specific cells. CLA is expressed by HSV-2-reactive cells that are initially CLA negative before restimulation. Short-term culture-expanded HSV-2-specific CD4(+) T lymphocytes also selectively express ESL. These findings have implications for the optimization of vaccines for HSV and other cutaneous pathogens.