title: Establishment of Porphyromonas gingivalis heat-shock-protein-specific T-cell lines from atherosclerosis patients.
abstract: Human atherosclerotic plaques contain heat-shock proteins which may serve as potential targets of the immune response in atherosclerosis. Since periodontal infections are suggested as risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases, we undertook the present study to evaluate the T-cell immune responses specific to Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) heat-shock protein (hsp)60 in patients suffering from atherosclerosis. Anti-P. gingivalis hsp60 IgG antibody titers were elevated in all patients. We could establish P. gingivalis hsp-specific T-cell lines from the atheroma lesions and the peripheral blood. The T-cell lines were a mixture of CD4+ and CD8+ cells producing the cytokines characteristic of both Th1 and Th2 subsets. The present findings suggest that the T-cell immune response specific to P. gingivalis hsp60 may be involved in the immunopathologic process of atherosclerotic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University, 1-10 Ami-Dong, Seo-Ku, Pusan 602-739, Korea. jilchoi@pusan.ac.kr
authors.forename: J-I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: S-W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: H-S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: B Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Rhim
authors.forename: S-J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: S-J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017951:Antigen Presentation; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line / Q000276:immunology*; D018834:Chaperonin 60 / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D016207:Cytokines; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte