{
  "abstract": "Background: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection causes life-threatening complications in transplant recipients. Despite a seroprevalence exceeding 90% in Peru, the influence of HLA diversity on HCMV immune recognition remains unexplored in the South American region. We aimed to characterize the HLA allele distribution in a Peruvian cohort and evaluate its impact on the predicted HCMV antigen-presentation landscape. Methods: HLA genotyping (loci A, B, C, DRB1, DQA1, DQB1) was performed in 562 kidney transplant candidates and related donors. Common allele groups (AF5%) were assigned 4-digit resolution proxies based on local prevalence. Linear T-cell epitopes from the immunodominant antigens 65 kDa phosphoprotein (pp65), Immediate early protein 1 (IE1), and Envelope glycoprotein B (gB) were predicted using high-performance algorithms. Allelic capacity to strongly bind antigenic peptides was quantified using the Predicted Strong Binder Density (PSBD). Results: We identified 16 HLA-I and 10 HLA-II common allele groups; 92% of their 4-digit proxies are widely distributed in SAM, while C*15:12 emerged as a potentially endemic variant in Peru. Screening yielded 954 HLA-I candidate epitopes, including 169 that correspond to previously reported IEDB epitopes with potential for immunotherapy. PSBD analysis revealed distinct predicted antigen-presentation profiles across the common HLA variants identified. Conclusion: Our findings provide updated Peruvian HLA data and define regional HCMV antigen-presentation profiles based on predicted MHC-peptide binding affinity (PSBD). Further experimental validation of these high-confidence candidate epitopes and HLA-HCMV association studies will be necessary to determine their immunogenicity and potential utility for immune monitoring and future immunotherapeutic applications across South American populations.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Carlos Germán Amezaga, Lima, Peru",
    "Pathogen Genetics Research Group (PATHO-GEN), Organization for Medical Innovation and Collaboration for Sciences (OMICS), Lima, Peru",
    "Immunology and Cancer Research Group (IMMUCA), Organization for Medical Innovation and Collaboration for Sciences (OMICS), Lima, Peru",
    "Facultad de Medicina Humana, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Peru",
    "Área de Histocompatibilidad y Biología Molecular, Hospital Nacional Carlos Alberto Seguin Escobedo, Red Asistencial Arequipa, Seguro Social de Salud (EsSalud), Arequipa, Peru",
    "Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru",
    "Escuela de Postgrado, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Peru"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mirella Dara Moreno Rosado"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Tatiana Chavez-Arias"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Obert Marín-Sánchez"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Ricardo J. Juarez Zevallos"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Alexis Germán Murillo Carrasco"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "César A. Ortiz Rojas"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Yuma Ita-Balta"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ruy Diego Chacón Villanueva"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6zx5kjtmm7x8y.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0360632",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "6zx5kjtmm7x8y",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360632",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|vaccines and immunoinformatics approaches"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Biochemistry/Proteins/Immune system proteins/Antigens"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Cell biology/Cellular types/Animal cells/Blood cells/White blood cells/T cells"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Cell biology/Cellular types/Animal cells/Immune cells/White blood cells/T cells"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Genetics/Genetic loci/Alleles"
    ],
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    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Microbiology/Medical microbiology/Microbial pathogens/Viral pathogens/Herpesviruses/Human cytomegalovirus"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Viruses/DNA viruses/Herpesviruses/Human cytomegalovirus"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Viruses/Viral pathogens/Herpesviruses/Human cytomegalovirus"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Physiology/Immune physiology/Antigens"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immune cells/White blood cells/T cells"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immune response"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immune system proteins/Antigens"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immune system/Innate immune system/Antigen presentation"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Pathology and laboratory medicine/Pathogens/Microbial pathogens/Viral pathogens/Herpesviruses/Human cytomegalovirus"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Surgical and invasive medical procedures/Transplantation/Organ transplantation/Renal transplantation"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Surgical and invasive medical procedures/Urinary system procedures/Renal transplantation"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/People and places/Geographical locations/South America/Peru"
    ]
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  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0360632&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-15",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6zx5kjtmm7x8y.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:23Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0360632",
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      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360632"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:immunology",
      "subfield": "immunology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "HLA-driven variability in human cytomegalovirus immune recognition: Epitope predictions from a kidney transplant Cohort",
  "title_text": "HLA-driven variability in human cytomegalovirus immune recognition: Epitope predictions from a kidney transplant Cohort",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:23Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6zx5kjtmm7x8y",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}