Mycobacterial Antigens (mycobacterial + antigen)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


,, T-cell anergy in human immunodeficiency virus-infected persons with opportunistic infections and recovery after highly active antiretroviral therapy

IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 4 2000
F. Martini
Summary ,, T lymphocytes recognize non-peptidic microbial antigens without antigen processing and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) restriction, representing an early defence mechanism against invading pathogens. As a defective response to non-peptidic antigens was observed in human immunodeficiency virus-positive (HIV+) persons, the aims of this study were twofold: to analyse the incidence of ,, T-cell anergy in HIV+ patients with opportunistic infections/co-infections (HIV-OIC), and to investigate the role of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on ,, T-cell functions. Peripheral ,, T-cell distribution and in vitro reactivity to a non-peptidic mycobacterial antigen, isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP), were analysed. ,, T-cell subset distribution was altered more in HIV-OIC patients than in asymptomatic HIV+ subjects (HIV-ASY). Specifically, the V,2/V,1 ratio was inverted as a consequence of a decrease in V,2 T-cell number. Moreover, IPP-stimulated V,2 T cells from the HIV-OIC group displayed a major defect in interferon-, (IFN-,) production. Interestingly, HAART induced a sustained recovery of naive CD45RA+ and CD62L+ T cells and restored ,, T-cell function. Accordingly, in vitro CD45RA depletion resulted in ,, T-cell hyporesponsiveness. Altogether, the incidence of ,, T-cell anergy was increased in HIV-OIC patients and dependent on CD45RA helper function. Moreover, HAART was able to restore ,, T-cell reactivity, extending the immune recovery to non-peptidic microbial antigens. [source]


Generation of self-renewing immature dendritic cells from mouse spleen that can take up mycobacteria and present antigens to T cells

APMIS, Issue 10 2010
RUBINA PAL
Pal R, Marwaha S, Pepponi I, Mann JFS, Paul MJ, Reljic R. Generation of self-renewing immature dendritic cells from mouse spleen that can take up mycobacteria and present antigens to T cells. APMIS 2010; 118: 729,38. Dendritic cells (DC) play a key role in driving the adaptive immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), the causative pathogen of tuberculosis (TB). However, studying these important yet very sparse immune cells in the context of MTB pathogenesis is severely restricted by the lack of suitable cell lines and the complexity of culturing of DC progenitors, usually obtained from the bone marrow. However, significant advances have been made towards generating long-term DC cultures from various lymphoid tissues. Here, we report the evidence for generating a long-term, self-renewing DC culture from the Balb/c mouse spleen. We demonstrate that these cells, termed IDC-3, have a myeloid DC origin, i.e. they are CD11c+CD11b++CD8-,,F4/80+/, and that they also display a phenotype MHC-II+CD16/32++CD80+/,CD86+, indicating that they are immature DC. Following incubation with Mycobacterium bovis BCG (Bacillus Calmette Guerin), the IDC-3 efficiently took up bacteria and acquired the morphology of mature DC. Importantly though, when IDC-3 were pre-stimulated with a mycobacterial antigen in vitro, they were able to induce proliferation of T lymphocytes from mice immunized with the same antigen. The T-cell stimulatory potential of IDC-3 was further enhanced when the cells were co-stimulated with an anti-CD40 mAb. We therefore suggest that the IDC-3 culture system could be a useful tool for studying the interaction of DC with mycobacteria. [source]


Cell proliferation and apoptosis: dual-signal hypothesis tested in tuberculous pleuritis using mycobacterial antigens

FEMS IMMUNOLOGY & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2004
Sulochana D. Das
Abstract Antigens and mitogens have the innate ability to trigger cell proliferation and apoptosis thus exhibiting a dual-signal phenomenon. This dual-signal hypothesis was tested with mycobacterial antigens (PPD and heat killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis, MTB) in tuberculous pleuritis patients where the immune response is protective and compartmentalized. We compared and correlated the cell-cycle analysis and antigen-induced apoptosis in normal and patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and patients' pleural fluid mononuclear cells (PFMCs). In cell-cycle analysis, PFMCs showed good mitotic response with PPD and MTB antigens where 10% and 7% of resting cells entered the S and G2/M phases of cell cycle, respectively. This antigen-induced proliferation of PFMCs correlated well with the lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) results. On the other hand, PFMCs also showed 21% of spontaneous apoptosis, which further increased to 43%, by induction with known apoptotic agent like Dexamethasone (DEX) and the mycobacterial antigens PPD and MTB. Further we demonstrated by anti-CD3 induction experiments that prior activation of cells is prerequisite for them to undergo apoptosis. Our results showed that PPD and MTB antigens induced both cell proliferation and apoptosis in PFMCs, which were pre-sensitized to mycobacterial antigens in vivo. Thus the dual-signal phenomenon was operative against these antigens in tuberculous pleuritis. We also demonstrated that the activated cells are more predisposed to apoptosis. [source]


Functional characterization of human natural killer cells responding to Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin

IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 1 2004
Semih Esin
Summary The kinetics of activation and induction of several effector functions of human natural killer (NK) cells in response to Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) were investigated. Owing to the central role of monocytes/macrophages (MM) in the initiation and maintenance of the immune response to pathogens, two different experimental culture conditions were analysed. In the first, monocyte-depleted nylon wool non-adherent (NW) cells from healthy donors were stimulated with autologous MM preinfected with BCG (intracellular BCG). In the second, the NW cells were directly incubated with BCG, which was therefore extracellular. In the presence of MM, CD4+ T lymphocytes were the cell subset mainly expressing the activation marker, CD25, and proliferating with a peak after 7 days of culture. In contrast, in response to extracellular BCG, the peak of the proliferative response was observed after 6 days of stimulation, and CD56+ CD3, cells (NK cells) were the cell subset preferentially involved. Such proliferation of NK cells did not require a prior sensitization to mycobacterial antigens, and appeared to be dependent upon contact between cell populations and bacteria. Following stimulation with extracellular BCG, the majority of interferon-, (IFN-,)-producing cells were NK cells, with a peak IFN-, production at 24,30 hr. Interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-4 were not detectable in NK cells or in CD3+ T lymphocytes at any time tested. IL-12 was not detectable in the culture supernatant of NW cells stimulated with extracellular BCG. Compared to the non-stimulated NW cells, the NW cells incubated for 16,20 hr with BCG induced the highest levels of expression of apoptotic/death marker on the NK-sensitive K562 cell line. BCG also induced expression of the activation marker, CD25, and proliferation, IFN-, production and cytotoxic activity, on negatively selected CD56+ CD3, cells. Altogether, the results of this study demonstrate that extracellular mycobacteria activate several NK-cell functions and suggest a possible alternative mechanism of NK-cell activation as the first line of defence against mycobacterial infections. [source]


Inflammatory cytokine production by immunological and foreign body multinucleated giant cells

IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 3 2000
R. Hernandez-Pando
Summary Multinucleated giant cells (MGC) are a common feature of granulomas. The mechanism of their formation has been studied extensively, but their function has not been completely characterized. A new method for the in vivo production of MGC was developed involving subcutaneous injection of microscopic nitrocellulose particles with adsorbed mycobacterial antigens into the footpads of sensitized BALB/c mice (immune [I]-MGC), or by nitrocellulose administration to non-sensitized mice (foreign body [FB]-MGC). The development of granulomas with a highly enriched MGC population was observed 2 weeks after the nitrocellulose injection. MGC were larger with a greater number of nuclei in I-MGC than in FB-MGC. From days 7,28 after nitrocellulose administration, the production of interleukin-1, (IL-1,) and tumour necrosis factor-, (TNF-,) was demonstrated in both MGC types by in situ reverse transcription,polymerase chain reaction (RT,PCR) and immunohistochemistry. After 2 months, the MGC had ceased production of IL-1, and TNF-,, but the expression of transforming growth factor-, (TGF-,) was very high, occurring together with extensive fibrosis. These results suggest that MGC are an active source of inflammatory cytokines, which can contribute to the initiation, maintenance and down-regulation of granulomatous inflammation induced by immunological and inert substances. [source]


Humoral immune response against 38- and 16-kDa mycobacterial antigens in childhood tuberculosis,

PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue 9 2009
Gunes Senol MD
Abstract Several enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) based on mycobacterial antigens have been tried for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). In this study, the value of the 16 and 38-kDa mycobacterial antigens in the diagnosis of TB was investigated in pediatric patients in Izmir, Turkey in whom they were found using clinical and/or bacteriological methods. A commercial ELISA kit was used for measuring IgG against 38 and 16-kDa recombinant antigens. The humoral immune response was analyzed in a group of 32 TB patients (24 pulmonary, 3 lymphadenitis and 2 pleuritis, 2 meningitis and a disseminated TB) and in control groups consisting of 20 healthy children and 20 pulmonary diseases other than TB cases. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and the negative predictive value of the test were found to be 25%, 90%, 66.7%, and 60%, respectively, in the TB cases. The ELISA test shows very good specificity, but low level of sensitivity and negative predict value. It was thought that it might be used in combination with other methods to increase diagnostic accuracy, especially for culture-negative TB pediatric cases, which are difficult to diagnose. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009; 44:839,844. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]