Immune responses to heat shock protein in Porphyromonas gingivalis-infected periodontitis and atherosclerosis patients.
BACKGROUND
It has been widely thought that heat shock protein might be involved in autoimmune disease mechanisms in humans.


OBJECTIVE
The present study was performed to evaluate the recognition of Porphyromonas gingivalis heat shock protein 60 (hsp60) and human hsp60 by immune sera in P. gingivalis-infected periodontitis and atherosclerosis patients.


METHODS
Mononuclear cells from atheroma lesions were stimulated with P. gingivalis hsp and sera from periodontitis or atherosclerosis patients were subjected to Western immunoblotting to P. gingivalis hsp or human hsp, respectively.


RESULTS
Western immunoblot analysis demonstrated the dual reactivity of anti-P. gingivalis antisera with P. gingivalis hsp and human hsp. We could also establish P. gingivalis hsp-specific T cell lines from the atheroma lesions, a mixture of CD4+ and CD8+ cells producing the cytokines characteristic of both Th1 and Th2 subsets.


CONCLUSIONS
These observations suggest the modulating effect of P. gingivalis hsp60 in the immunopathogenesis of periodontitis and atherosclerosis.
Chung
Sung-Woon
SW
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, School of Medicine, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan, Korea.
Kang
Ho-Sung
HS
Park
Hae-Ryoun
HR
Kim
Sung-Jo
SJ
Kim
Soo-Jin
SJ
Choi
Jeom-Il
JI
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D016866:Bacteroidaceae Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018834:Chaperonin 60 / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D007074:Immunoglobulin G