title: Leishmania pifanoi amastigote antigen P-4: epitopes involved in T-cell responsiveness in human cutaneous leishmaniasis.
abstract: In experimental murine cutaneous leishmaniasis, the purified Leishmania pifanoi amastigote protein P-4 has been shown to induce significant protection against infection. Further, recent studies examining the response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from Leishmania braziliensis-infected human patients have demonstrated that the P-4 protein selectively elicits a significant TH1-like response. Because a TH1-like response is associated with cure, epitope studies were conducted to further evaluate the human response to P-4. PBMC from confirmed cutaneous leishmaniasis patients infected with L. braziliensis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, an area where the disease is endemic, were examined for T-cell proliferation and/or cytokine production in response to whole-parasite homogenate, isolated P-4 protein, and/or P-4 peptides. Twenty of the 22 patients (91%) examined responded to the native P-4 protein by proliferation and/or gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) production. According to the proliferation data, PBMC from 14 patients (64%) were found to respond to the intact P-4 protein (stimulation index of >/=2.5). Fifty-seven percent of the P-4-responsive patients studied responded to at least one of the P-4 peptides; 11 individual peptides were found to elicit a proliferative response. Of 17 patients examined for cytokine production, no PBMC produced detectable interleukin-4 in response to P-4 protein or peptides. However, PBMC from 14 patients (82%) produced significant levels of IFN-gamma (>/=20 pg/ml) in response to native P-4 protein. Nineteen of the 23 peptides were found to elicit an IFN-gamma response from at least two patients. These data indicate that multiple epitopes spanning the entire P-4 molecule are responsible for the TH1-like immune response observed, indicating that the intact P-4 amastigote molecule, rather than selected peptides, may prove to be the most useful for leishmaniasis vaccine development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8034, USA.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Haberer
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Da-Cruz
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Soong
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Oliveira-Neto
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rivas
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McMahon-Pratt
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Coutinho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000939:Epitopes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007891:Leishmania / Q000276:immunology*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D016207:Cytokines; D000939:Epitopes; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines