%0 Journal Article %A Barnes, Penelope D. %A Grundy, Jane E. %T Down-regulation of the class I HLA heterodimer and β2-microglobulin on the surface of cells infected with cytomegalovirus %D 1992 %J Journal of General Virology, %V 73 %N 9 %P 2395-2403 %@ 1465-2099 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-73-9-2395 %I Microbiology Society, %X Cytotoxic T cell recognition of virus-infected cells requires the presentation of viral peptides by class I HLA molecules on the cell surface. We report here that cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection of human fibroblasts results in a progressive decrease in the cell surface expression of class I HLA and β2-microglobulin (β2m) such that in the late stages of infection the majority of infected cells have no detectable surface class I HLA. Coincident with decreased surface expression of class I HLA was an increase in his cytoplasmic expression. Confocal scanning laser microscopic analysis demonstrated that class I HLA and β2m accumulate in a perinuclear compartment inside the CMV-infected cell. Our data thus support the concept that CMV infection induces altered transport of class I HLA to the cell surface. We suggest that the virus has evolved this mechanism as a strategy to avoid T cell recognition of infected cells. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-73-9-2395