Profile of human T cell response to leishmanial antigens. Analysis by immunoblotting.
Control and resolution of leishmanial infection depends primarily on T cell-mediated immune mechanisms. The nature of the leishmanial antigens involved in eliciting T cell immunity is unknown. We have examined the pattern of peripheral blood lymphocyte responses in patients with active, healed, or subclinical leishmanial infection to fractionated leishmanial antigens using a T cell immunoblotting method in which nitrocellulose-bound leishmanial antigen, resolved by one or two dimensional electrophoresis, are incorporated into lymphocyte cultures. The proliferative and IFN-gamma responses of cells from patients with healed mucosal or cutaneous leishmaniasis were remarkably heterogeneous and occurred to as many as 50-70 distinct antigens. In contrast, responses from subjects with active, nonhealing, diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis were either absent or present to only a small number of antigens. Control and resolution of leishmaniasis, and resistance to reinfection, is therefore associated with a T cell response to a large and diverse pool of parasite antigens. The method of T cell immunoblotting appears to offer a powerful, rapid, and relatively simple approach to the identification of antigens involved in eliciting a T cell response in human leishmaniasis.
Melby
P C
PC
Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
Neva
F A
FA
Sacks
D L
DL
D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003101:Collodion; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D007897:Leishmaniasis, Mucocutaneous / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D000939:Epitopes; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D003101:Collodion