Human T-cell clones recognize a major M. leprae protein antigen expressed in E. coli

• Published in: Nature (London) 1986-01, Vol.319 (6048), p.63-66
• Main Authors: Mustafa, Abu Salim, Gill, Harvindar Kaur, Nerland, Audun, Britton, Warwick J, Mehra, Vijay, Bloom, Barry R, Young, Richard A, Godal, Tore
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal models; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Antigens, Bacterial - immunology; Bacterial Proteins - immunology; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Cellular biology; Clone Cells - immunology; Disease; E coli; Escherichia coli; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Immunization; Infectious diseases; letter; Lymphocyte Activation; Medical research; Microbiology; Molecular Weight; multidisciplinary; Mycobacterium leprae; Mycobacterium leprae - immunology; Parasites; Pathogenicity, virulence, toxins, bacteriocins, pyrogens, host-bacteria relations, miscellaneous strains; Recombinant Proteins - immunology; Science; T-Lymphocytes - immunology
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/319063a0

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae . As with other intracellular parasites, protective immunity is dependent on T cells and cell-mediated immunity 1 . In animal models, immunization with killed armadillo-derived M. leprae elicits strong T-cell responses, delayed-type hypersensitivity and protection against viable challenge 2–5 . We have recently shown that killed M. leprae can induce delayed-type hypersensitivity in healthy human volunteers 6 . Identification of the M. leprae antigens that are recognized by T cells and may be involved in protection has been hampered by the inability to cultivate the organism in vitro and by difficulties in antigen purification from limited quantities of armadillo-derived bacillus. Because genes for the major protein antigens of M. leprae as seen by mouse monoclonal antibodies have been isolated 7,8 , it has become possible to test whether these individual antigens are recognized by T cells. We screened crude λ gtll phage lysates of Escherichia coli containing individual M. leprae antigens using M. leprae -specific T-cell clones isolated from M. leprae -vaccinated volunteers. Using this method, we find that nearly half of the M. leprae -specific T-cell clones are stimulated to proliferate by lysates containing an epitope of a M. leprae protein of relative molecular mass 18,000 (18K).