title: Broad clonal heterogeneity of antigen-specific CD4+ T-cells localizing at the site of disease during tuberculosis.
abstract: The repertoire of CD4+ T-lymphocytes was investigated in six patients affected by tuberculosis, who had a negative PPD skin test at diagnosis. Polyclonal CD4+ T-cell lines from the peripheral blood failed to proliferate to PPD and to the 16- or 38-kDa proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, while CD4+ T-cell lines from the site of disease responded to PPD, and to the 16- and 38-kDa proteins, and derived epitopes in vitro. The repertoire of CD4+ T-cells accumulating at the site of disease was found to be widely heterogeneous as demonstrated by the finding that at least seven different peptides from the 16- and 38-kDa proteins were recognized by every patient. These results indicate that CD4+ T-cells localized at the site of disease in tuberculosis recognize a vast array of M. tuberculosis epitopes.
authors.affiliation: Institute of General Pathology, University of Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dieli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sireci
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ivanyi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Friscia
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Sano
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Spallek
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salerno
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000276:immunology; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology*; D010495:Pericarditis, Tuberculous / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D010998:Pleurisy / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C075966:Ag38 antigen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D008074:Lipoproteins; C072681:Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens