T cell responses to 53-kDa outer membrane protein of porphyromonas gingivalis in humans with early-onset periodontitis

• Published in: Human immunology 1998-10, Vol.59 (10), p.635-643
• Main Authors: Ohyama, Hideki, Matsushita, Sho, Kato, Nahoko, Nishimura, Fusanori, Oyaizu, Kosuke, Kokeguchi, Susumu, Kurihara, Hidemi, Takashiba, Shogo, Nishimura, Yasuharu, Murayama, Yoji
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age of Onset; Amino Acid Sequence; Antigen Presentation; Antigens, Bacterial - immunology; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - immunology; Cell Line; Epitope Mapping; Female; Histocompatibility Antigens Class II - immunology; HLA Antigens - immunology; Humans; Lymphocyte Activation; Male; Molecular Sequence Data; Peptide Fragments - chemical synthesis; Peptide Fragments - immunology; Periodontitis - immunology; Porphyromonas gingivalis - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - cytology; T-Lymphocytes - immunology
• ISSN: 0198-8859; 1879-1166
• DOI: 10.1016/S0198-8859(98)00064-0

Patients with early-onset periodontitis (EOP) are susceptible to infection with periodontopathic bacteria, such as Porphyromonas gingivalis. Ag53, 53-kDa outer membrane protein of P. gingivalis, evokes strong humoral immune responses in EOP patients. In a first step to clarify how host immune cells recognize Ag53, we established Ag53-specific short-term T cell lines from 22 subjects including 6 EOP patients and 16 healthy donors, using overlapping peptides based on Ag53 amino acid sequences. All T cell lines from active EOP patients recognized a common region (p141–181, especially p141–161) on Ag53, while those from healthy donors showed heterogeneous specificity. p141–181 was not recognized by T cell lines established from EOP patients following therapy. A monoclonal antibody to HLA-DRB1 inhibited Ag53-induced proliferation of most of the T cell lines. Our observations suggest that, although antigen-presenting molecules are common in EOP patients and in healthy individuals, p141–161 includes a major T cell epitope(s) on Ag53 for active EOP patients but not for healthy individuals or inactive EOP patients. Human Immunology, 59, 635–643 (1998) © American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, 1998. Published by Elsevier Science Inc.