Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6), which belongs to the betaherpesvirus subfamily, mainly replicates in T lymphocytes. Here, we show that MHC class I molecules are incorporated into HHV-6 viral particles and released into the extracellular environment. In addition, HHV-6A/B-infected T cells showed reduced surface and intracellular expression of MHC class I molecules. The cellular machinery responsible for molecular transport appears to be modified upon HHV-6 infection, causing MHC class I molecules to be transported to virion assembly sites.
Keywords: MHC class I; human herpesvirus-6A/B; viral particles.
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