title: Mycobacterium leprae-reactive T-cell clones isolated from polar lepromatous and tuberculoid leprosy patients.
abstract: T-cell clones capable of mounting a proliferative response to Mycobacterium leprae were obtained in three leprosy patients (two polar lepromatous and one polar tuberculoid) either from M. leprae-activated or from protein-purified derivative-activated polyclonal T lymphoblasts. All these clones expressed the CD4 surface marker. Some of them proliferated to the antigen only in the presence of interleukin-2. A majority expressed cross-reactive responses to other mycobacteria. Clones obtained from the lepromatous patients did not differ in any of these features from those obtained from the tuberculoid patient. M. leprae-reactive clones obtained from one lepromatous patient displayed strong antigen-specific cytotoxicity toward autologous antigen-coated target cells. This phenomenon was not observed for any clone of the other lepromatous patient and was seen only for one clone in the tuberculoid patient.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Pathologie de l'Immunité, Paris.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Launois
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shankar
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wallach
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Flageul
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cottenot
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bach
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002999:Clone Cells; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000276:immunology; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial