title: Identification of human T cell epitopes in the Mycobacterium leprae heat shock protein 70-kD antigen.
abstract: In a number of pathogens, heat shock proteins (hsp) stimulate humoral and cellular immune responses despite significant sequence identity with host hsp. The 70-kD hsp of Mycobacterium leprae, which shares 47% identity with human hsp70 at the protein level, elicited a T cell response in most Myco. bovis (bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG)) vaccinees as well as leprosy and tuberculosis patients and their contacts. In order to locate T cell epitopes, DNA fragments encoding portions of the 70-kD hsp were expressed in the vector pGEX-2T and tested for T cell reactivity in an in vitro proliferative assay. Cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from BCG vaccinees indicated that the C-terminal half of the molecule contained multiple T cell epitopes, as the T cells from a majority of Myco. leprae hsp70-reactive individuals responded to C-344. Lower proportions of patients with paucibacillary leprosy (36%) and tuberculosis patients (16%) responded to C-344. The smaller C-142 fragment which includes the terminal 70 residues unique to Myco. leprae and is the target for the human antibody response elicited a cellular response in few patients and no vaccinees. In order to map T cell epitopes, two series of synthetic peptides encompassing the region 278-502 were prepared. Using overlapping 12mer and 20mer peptides, this region of the molecule was found to contain several potential T cell epitopes. The longer peptides gave a clearer indication of reactive sequences including regions of the molecule which were not identified with the 12mer peptides. Fine mapping of reactive peptide pools using the 12mer peptides identified two T cell epitopes. Although both were located in regions of the molecule shared with Myco. tuberculosis, one appeared to be cross-reactive with the equivalent human sequence, and thus has the potential to initiate autoimmune responses.
authors.affiliation: Centenary Institute of Cancer Medicine and Cell Biology, University of Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Britton
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Goodsall
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Basten
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001500:BCG Vaccine; D000939:Epitopes; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D010455:Peptides; D011994:Recombinant Proteins