title: An HLA-DRw53-restricted T-cell epitope from a novel Mycobacterium leprae protein antigen important to the human memory T-cell repertoire against M. leprae.
abstract: Cellular immunity mediated by T cells plays a major role in protection against intracellular infections, including leprosy, a chronic disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. In this work, we describe CD4+ T-cell clones, isolated from healthy humans immunized with M. leprae, which recognize a novel M. leprae protein antigen previously isolated from a lambda gt11 DNA expression library. On the basis of the deduced primary structure of the carboxyl-terminal part of the antigen, we have used a synthetic-peptide approach to exactly define the T-cell epitope recognized. Importantly, major histocompatibility complex restriction studies showed that the epitope is presented by an HLA-DRw53 molecule which is frequently expressed in many populations. In addition, we have demonstrated that a long-term cell-mediated immunity response against the peptide epitope is present after immunization with M. leprae. In conclusion, the M. leprae T-cell epitope described here fulfills the primary criteria for subunit vaccine candidates against leprosy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Safat.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Mustafa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deggerdal
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Lundin
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Meloen
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Shinnick
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oftung
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001135:Armadillos; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002999:Clone Cells; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D059845:HLA-DRB4 Chains; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; C050610:HLA-DR53; D059845:HLA-DRB4 Chains; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011994:Recombinant Proteins