DNA疫苗诱导健康小鼠细胞免疫及HBV转基因小鼠抗-HBs产生

目的 :在HBVDNA疫苗成功地诱导健康小鼠体液免疫应答的基础上 ,探讨其作为抗 HBV治疗的可行性及作用机理。方法 :应用基因重组技术 ,构建编码HBV中蛋白 (preS2 +S)及人白细胞介素融合蛋白基因的真核表达质粒pS2 .S及pFP ,继经肌注免疫健康Balb C及HBV转基因 (Tg)小鼠并观察健康小鼠细胞免疫应答及HBVTg小鼠HBsAg的血清转换。结果 :1 体外HBsAg对DNA疫苗免疫后的T细胞的刺激呈浓度相关 ,HBsAg 30 μg ml时刺激pS2 .S免疫小鼠脾细胞增殖指数(5 6± 0 9)明显较pcDNA3 1组 (2 0± 0 5 )高。细胞培养上清液细胞因子水平检测结果 :免疫实验组IL 2及IFN γ的分泌水平明显较对照组高 ,而IL 4水平于各组影响不明显。 2 pS2 .S免疫小鼠局部引流淋巴结DCs诱导HBsAg致敏的T 细胞增殖指数(4 2 0 )较pcDNA3.1组 (2 5 5高 )。 3 高剂量的pS2 .S组与联合pFP组各有一只Tg小鼠分别于 2、4w开始发生HBsAg血清转换 ,且其抗体水平随时间而增长。结论 :结果表明HBVDNA疫苗能有效诱导HBsAg特异性的细胞免疫应答 ;HBV Tg小鼠初步实验结果为治疗型HBVDNA疫苗的深入研制提供了实验依据。     

T细胞淋巴瘤DNA疫苗的实验研究

目的：研究T细胞淋巴瘤TCR Vβ DNA疫苗诱发小鼠体液免疫反应。方法：将：BALB／C小鼠随机分为pcDNA3．1组、pcDNA3．1／TCR Vβ8组、pcDNA3．1／TCR Vβ8 CpG 质脂体组和全硫代CpC组，共4组(每组6只)，双侧股四头肌注射疫苗免疫，于第0、2、4周各免疫1次，共3次。每次免疫前及免疫开始后至第8周，取鼠血，应用间接免疫荧光法检测小鼠抗体生成情况。结果：pcDNA3．1／TCR Vβ组、pcDNA3．1／TCR Vβ CpC 脂质体组小鼠血清中均产生了特异性抗体，抗体滴度在第4周开始增高，第6周时达到高峰。同一时间段相比，特异性抗体滴度后者显著高于前者。结论：证明了DNA重组质粒pcDNA3．1/TCR Vβ可诱导小鼠产生特异性抗T细胞淋巴瘤TCR Vβ8抗体；CpG和脂质体增强了TCR Vβ8 DNA疫苗诱导的体液免疫反应。     

IL-2 preS DNA疫苗免疫正常小鼠和HBV转基因鼠的免疫应答研究

目的 探讨IL—2 preS DNA疫苗作为预防和治疗性疫苗的可行性及作用机理。方法 应用基因重组技术，构建人白细胞介素2(hIL-2)和前表面抗原(preS)的真核表达载体，将此重组载体用基因枪分别注射正常的BALB／c小鼠和HBV转基因小鼠，通过ELISA方法检测BALB／c小鼠和HBV转基因鼠的抗-preS2、HBsAg及抗-HBs抗体水平；荧光定量PCR方法检测HBV转基因鼠血清中HBV DNA拷贝数，并用免疫病理HE染色观察小鼠肝组织炎症活动度，同时检测肝功能指标。结果 ①基因枪注射真核表达质粒免疫正常小鼠后，100％小鼠能在第4、6周检测到抗preS1抗体，持续时间长达10周。②用IL-2 preS真核表达质粒基因枪肌肉注射方式优于正常肌肉注射和皮下注射的方式，且所需质粒量(10μg／只)仅为后者(100μg／只)的1／10。③在第4周高峰期检测IgG亚类，是诱导以TH1(IgG2a)细胞免疫为主的反应。④基因枪注射真核表达质粒(1μg／只)免疫转基因小鼠后，80％的小鼠产生了抗体，HBV DNA量下降，其中20％的小鼠HBsAg转阴。⑤HE肝组织染色显示：肝组织有明显的炎细胞浸润、肝细胞肿大、颗粒样变性、转氨酶升高。结论 IL-2 preS DNA疫苗能刺激小鼠机体产生体液和细胞免疫，可部分打破小鼠机体的免疫耐受，为新型乙肝疫苗和抗HBV持续性感染的特异性免疫治疗剂的设计和构建提供理论与实践依据。     

一种探找超抗原T细胞识别表位的新方法

目的建立一种有效的探找超抗原Ｔ细胞识别表位的新方法。方法以检测超抗原合成肽或其在ＣＤ２８抗体辅助下诱导外周血单个核细胞（ＰＢＭＣ）的增殖与否为指标，确定超抗原的合成肽是否含有超抗原Ｔ细胞识别表位。结果一个超抗原合成肽单独并不能活化ＰＢＭＣ，但在ＣＤ２８抗体的辅助下却可激活ＰＢＭＣ。结论超抗原合成肽结合ＣＤ２８抗体的方法对寻找超抗原Ｔ细胞识别表位是切实可行的。     

乙型肝炎病毒HBcAg免疫优势CTL表位多肽在HBV转基因小鼠体内的免疫学功能研究

目的 探讨基于乙型肝炎(Hepatitis bvirus ,HBV)核心抗原免疫优势细胞毒性T淋巴细胞(Cytotoxic T lymphocyte,CTL)表位的治疗性多肽抗原组分、结构以及在HBV转基因小鼠体内的免疫学功能。方法 用分子设计的理论和方法，设计基于HBV核心抗原免疫优势性CTL表位、Pre—S2B细胞表位及破伤风类毒素通用TH表位的治疗性多肽疫苗候选分子，经Merri—field固相多肽合成技术合成，经高效液相色谱(HPLC)纯化、鉴定。以HBV转基因小鼠为试验对象，进行体内免疫学功能研究。结果 所设计治疗性多肽分子可在体诱导较强的抗原特异性CD8^ T细胞应答和适度的抗体反应，并抑制HBV特异性抗原的分泌和乙型肝炎病毒复制。结论 提示所设计基于HBV核心抗原免疫优势性CTL表位、Pre-S2 B细胞表位及破伤风类毒素通用TH表位的多肽分子可作为乙型肝炎治疗性多肽疫苗候选分子。     

Vaccination with a fusion DNA vaccine encoding hepatitis B surface antigen fused to the extracellular domain of CTLA4 enhances HBV-specific immune responses in mice: Implication of its potential use as a therapeutic vaccine

Fusion of specific antigens to extracellular domain of cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) represents a promising approach to increase the immunogenicity of DNA vaccines. We evaluated this interesting approach for its enhancement on HBV-specific immune responses and its antiviral effects in HBV transgenic mice. A fusion plasmid encoding the extracellular domain of CTLA4 linked with HBsAg was constructed. Mice were immunized by this fusion plasmid. Vaccination with the CTLA4-fused DNA not only induced much higher level of anti-HBs antibody, but also increased HBsAg-specific CD8+ response as well as CTL response in BALB/c mice. Furthermore, both Th1 and Th2 responses were augmented. In HBV transgenic mice, the levels of circulating HBsAg and HBV DNA replication were down-regulated by induction of higher anti-HBs antibody and HBsAg-specific CD8+ response after vaccination with the fusion plasmid. Thus, the CTLA4-fused DNA vaccine led to breakdown of immune tolerance to viral infection in HBV transgenic mice, which might be used as a therapeutic vaccine in HBV infection.     

T cell lines from systemic sclerosis patients and healthy controls recognize multiple epitopes on DNA topoisomerase I

Anti-DNA topoisomerase I (topo-I) antibodies are exclusively detected in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Participation of this topo-I-specific autoimmune response in the pathogenesis of SSc has been actively investigated, but remains unproven. Here we characterized the peripheral T cell proliferative response to recombinant topo-I (rtopo-I) in 16 SSc patients with circulating anti-topo-I antibody. A low level (cpm < 2000) T cell proliferation (SI > 3) was detected in 6 (38%) of 16 patients. This low level response was similar to those previously observed in healthy controls. We established 56 topo-I-specific T cell lines recognizing 13 distinct T cell epitopes on topo-I from 4 SSc patients and 2 healthy controls. These T cell lines were established from in vitro activated PBMC (CD25(+)) by rtopo-I antigen. However they did not have the phenotype of regulatory T cells. Notably, 40 (71%) of the 56 T cell lines recognizing a common epitope were established from one patient. DNA sequencing of the T cell receptor cDNA produced an identical sequence indicating these T cells were from a single topo-I-specific T cell precursor. These results suggest that topo-I-specific T cells can become clonally expanded in some patients and may contribute to the pathogenesis of this disease.     

口服生长抑素基因疫苗对小鼠免疫影响的初步研究

目的 研究口服生长抑素(SS)基因疫苗在体内表达HBsAg/SS融合蛋白情况.方法 用SS基因疫苗免疫小鼠,姬姆萨染色观察细菌在体内分布;观察小鼠质量增长情况;应用免疫组化法显示小肠乙肝表面抗原(HBsAg)和SS阳性细胞的分布及数量变化.结果 免疫后16 h空肠细菌数量达到高峰,免疫后4 d脾脏出现细菌;两试验组小鼠体质量较对照组均无显著变化;首次免疫后第3周两试验组小肠内出现HBsAg阳性细胞并维持至第7周;首次免疫后第5、7周两试验组小肠内SS阳性细胞数量比对照组极显著减少(P＜0.01).结论 口服型SS基因疫苗免疫小鼠后可在小肠表达HBsAg/SS融合蛋白,同时SS阳性细胞数量减少,推测该基因疫苗刺激机体表达蛋白后能产生SS抗体.     

T细胞疫苗、肽疫苗免疫干预自身免疫病的进展

自身反应性T细胞在体内的免疫调节作用主要涉及独特型-抗独特型调节网络。病理性自身反应性T细胞是多发性硬化、类风湿性关节炎等自身免疫病的主要致病原因。本文综述利用这一调节机制治疗自身免疫病的T细胞疫苗和肽疫苗的研究现状和前景。     

A novel DNA vaccine for protective immunity against virulent Mycobacterium bovis in mice

Mycobacterium bovis is the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (bTB). The proteins Ag85B, MPB64, and ESAT-6 are the major immunogenic antigens of M. bovis; these proteins play important roles in inducing immune responses that confer resistance against infections. In the present study, we used pcDNA3.1(+) as a vector and constructed various DNA vaccines with the genes encoding the three antigens mentioned above. This procedure involved the following steps: fusion of two genes (pcDNA-MPB64-Ag85B, pcMA), fusion of three genes (pcDNA-MPB64-Ag85B-ESAT-6, pcMAE), bivalent combinations (pcDNA-Ag85B + pcDNA-MPB64, pcA + M), and trivalent combinations (pcDNA-Ag85B + pcDNA-MPB64 + pcDNA-ESAT-6, pcA + M + E). The immune response to the DNA vaccines was evaluated based on serum antibody titers, lymphocyte proliferation assay, and titers of the cytokines interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-2 (IL-2). The protective efficacy following challenge with a virulent M. bovis strain, C68001, was evaluated based on survival rate, bacterial loads in lung tissue, and histopathologic changes. A significant 2-fold increase in serum antibody levels was observed in mice vaccinated with fusion DNA (two or three genes). Furthermore, the lymphocyte proliferation (SI) values and the levels of IFN-γ and IL-2 were higher in mice vaccinated with fusion DNA (two or three genes) than in those immunized with polyvalent combination DNA vaccines (P < 0.05). Additionally, the fusion DNA vaccines provided protection that was superior to that provided by the polyvalent combination DNA vaccines following challenge with M. bovis strain C68001. The protective efficacy of the fusion DNA vaccines in mice immunized three times was equivalent to the protective efficacy in mice immunized once with the Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG) vaccine. This suggests that fusion DNA vaccine represent a promising approach for the prevention of bTB.     

Screening HLA-A-restricted T cell epitopes of SARS-CoV-2 and the induction of CD8+ T cell responses in HLA-A transgenic mice

Since severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific T cells have been found to play essential roles in host immune protection and pathology in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), this study focused on the functional validation of T cell epitopes and the development of vaccines that induce specific T cell responses. A total of 120 CD8⁺ T cell epitopes from the E, M, N, S, and RdRp proteins were functionally validated. Among these, 110, 15, 6, 14, and 12 epitopes were highly homologous with SARS-CoV, OC43, NL63, HKU1, and 229E, respectively; in addition, four epitopes from the S protein displayed one amino acid that was distinct from the current SARS-CoV-2 variants. Then, 31 epitopes restricted by the HLA-A2 molecule were used to generate peptide cocktail vaccines in combination with Poly(I:C), R848 or poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles, and these vaccines elicited robust and specific CD8⁺ T cell responses in HLA-A2/DR1 transgenic mice as well as wild-type mice. In contrast to previous research, this study established a modified DC-peptide-PBL cell coculture system using healthy donor PBMCs to validate the in silico predicted epitopes, provided an epitope library restricted by nine of the most prevalent HLA-A allotypes covering broad Asian populations, and identified the HLA-A restrictions of these validated epitopes using competitive peptide binding experiments with HMy2.CIR cell lines expressing the indicated HLA-A allotype, which initially confirmed the in vivo feasibility of 9- or 10-mer peptide cocktail vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. These data will facilitate the design and development of vaccines that induce antiviral CD8⁺ T cell responses in COVID-19 patients.     

抗HBV的治疗性双质粒DNA疫苗的构建及初步药效学研究

目的：构建抗乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）的治疗性DNA疫苗并进行体外、体内鉴定。方法：采用PCR技术扩增含有HBV包膜中蛋白（preS2.S）抗原基因和hIL-2/hIFN-γ融合蛋白的基因,将目的基因分别亚克隆于pVAX1真核表达载体,并进行酶切和测序分析;转染双质粒于COS-7细胞检测基因及蛋白表达情况;利用Combinatotial Extension（CE）软件模建分析佐剂质粒表达融合蛋白的空间结构;双质粒联合在体电脉冲技术（EP）注射BALB/c小鼠以检测特异性的体液和细胞免疫应答。结果：经酶谱和测序分析表明,构建的双质粒pVAX1/S2.S（pS2.S）和pVAX1/IL-2IFN-γ（pIIF）的基因片段的方向、序列完全正确;ELISA法定量检测双质粒转染COS-7细胞后48小时目的基因（preS2.S和hIL-2/hIFN-γ）的蛋白表达水平较高,HBsAg、IL-2、IFN-γ的含量分别为45.1、10.03、11.5ng/ml;模拟空间结构分析表明佐剂质粒的融合蛋白中两细胞因子的活性部位均裸露在外;小鼠免疫试验结果表明,疫苗pS2.S能诱导健康小鼠的保护性抗-HBs的抗体产生,且具有剂量相关性;佐剂pIIF可显著增强疫苗pS2.S质粒的免疫效果;在EP辅助作用下,质粒pS2.S和pIIF共肌注BALB/c小鼠,低剂量就能诱导较强特异性的细胞和体液免疫。结论：成功构建了抗HBV的DNA疫苗pS2.S及佐剂pIIF质粒,并具有较特异的体内外活性。     

The identification of HLA class II-restricted T cell epitopes to vaccinia virus membrane proteins

Three decades after the eradication of smallpox, the threat of bioterrorism and outbreaks of emerging diseases such as monkeypox have renewed interest in the development of safe and effective next-generation poxvirus vaccines and biodefense research. Current smallpox vaccines contain live virus and are contraindicated for a large percentage of the population. Safer, yet still effective inactivated and subunit vaccines are needed, and epitope identification is an essential step in the development of these subunit vaccines. In this study we focused on 4 vaccinia membrane proteins known to be targeted by humoral responses in vaccinees. In spite of the narrow focus of the study we identified 36 T cell epitopes, and provide additional support for the physical linkage between T and B epitopes. This information may prove useful in peptide and protein-based subunit vaccine development as well as in the study of CD4 responses to poxviruses.     

Ag85A DNA疫苗加强免疫显著提高卡介苗初免小鼠的抗结核T细胞免疫应答

目的 构建表达结核分枝杆菌(Mycobacterium tuberculosis,Mtb)免疫优势抗原Ag85A的DNA疫苗,分析其加强免疫后提高卡介苗(BCG)初免小鼠的抗结核T细胞免疫应答.方法 以Mtb毒株H37Rv基因组DNA为模板,PCR扩增Ag85A抗原编码的结构基因并克隆至真核表达载体pVAX1中构建其DNA疫苗;接着,将纯化后的该DNA疫苗加强免疫BCG初免小鼠2针,以BCG和DNA单独免疫小鼠为对照,免疫8周后无菌分离脾淋巴细胞,分别应用IFN-γ ELISPOT和多因子胞内流式细胞术(intracellular staining)分析免疫小鼠的Mtb抗原特异性效应细胞免疫水平与分泌IFN-γ/TNF-α/IL-2的多功能CD4+T细胞频率及其强度以及CD8+T细胞免疫应答.结果 与BCG免疫及DNA单独免疫组相比,Ag85A DNA加强免疫不仅能显著提高小鼠IFN-γ+TNF-α+IL-2+多功能T细胞,IFN-γ+IL-2+、IL-2+TNF-α+双功能T细胞与IL-2+单功能T细胞的频率以及IL-2的分泌能力,还能显著诱导小鼠产生更多分泌IFN-γ和IL-2的CD8+T细胞.结论 本研究成功构建了表达Mtb免疫优势抗原Ag85A的DNA疫苗并分析了其免疫原性,证实了BCG初免-DNA加强的免疫策略可同时显著增强实验小鼠的Mtb抗原特异性CD4+T和CD8+T细胞应答水平,有利于提高BCG的免疫原性,为增强BCG逐渐下降的抗结核保护效果提供新思路.     

MUC1基因疫苗诱导小鼠特异性CTL和体液免疫应答

目的 :观察MUC1基因疫苗诱导小鼠特异性杀伤性T细胞及体液免疫应答的作用。方法 :采用股四头肌肌肉注射 ,将构建的MUC1基因疫苗pcDNA3.1 MUC1免疫雌性BALB/c小鼠 ,每次间隔 3wk ,共 3次。最后 1次免疫后第 3周 ,接种表达MUC1的EMT6乳腺癌细胞进行免疫保护实验。用 4h51Cr释放法检测小鼠脾细胞特异性CTL杀伤活性 ;免疫组化染色法检测小鼠血清特异性抗体的水平。结果 :在效靶比为 10 0∶1、5 0∶1、2 5∶1、12 .5∶1时 ,MUC1基因疫苗免疫组特异性CTL对EMT6靶细胞杀伤活性分别为 5 4 .1%、39.8%、2 6 .4 %和2 0 .1% ,对照组分别为 13.2 %、10 .0 %、8.2 %、7.2 %和 11.7%、9.8%、7.7%、7.0 % ,前者与后二者差异显著 (P <0 .0 1)。免疫组化染色检测显示 ,人乳腺癌组织MUC1呈染色阳性 ;MUC1基因疫苗免疫组仅见 4 0 % (4/ 10 )的小鼠有肿瘤形成 ,而 pcDNA3.1对照组和生理盐水阴性对照组 10 0 %可见肿瘤形成、生长 ,表明MUC1基因疫苗免疫组小鼠具有一定的免疫保护作用。结论 :MUC1基因疫苗可诱导小鼠产生特异性CTL及体液免疫应答 ,对小鼠体内荷瘤可能具有一定的预防作用     

A final report on safety and immunogenicity of a bivalent aqueous subunit HBV vaccine

The bivalent form of an aqueous formalin-inactivated hepatitis B vaccine was evaluated for safety and immunogenicity in chimpanzees. To evaluate safety five animals were inoculated intravenously with vaccine containing 500 micrograms HBsAg and two animals with 50 micrograms. None of these animals developed hepatitis or any serologic marker indicative of the presence of residual live virus in the vaccine. Twenty-four animals were used to evaluate immunogenicity and protective efficacy. Seven of these immunized animals produced weak or no anti-HBs responses. Two doses of 50 micrograms HBsAg given subcutaneously 1 month apart protected each of four animals that were challenged with 10(3.5) CID50 HBV at 6 and 12 months after immunization and protected three of four animals challenged at 24 months against development of hepatitis or HBsAg. Three of 4 animals in each group immunized with two doses of 20, 10, or 5 micrograms HBsAg were similarly protected when challenged 6 months after immunization. Thirteen of 20 immunized animals that did not develop HBsAg after challenge with HBV developed anamnestic anti-HBs or anti-HBc responses between 2 and 18 months after challenge, indicating minimal replication of challenge virus. The time of onset and frequency of occurrence of these delayed responses was related to the titer of anti-HBs at the time of challenge. False positive Ausab test results were observed in quarantined chimpanzees. These were neither preceded by appearance of HBsAg nor accompanied by development of anti-HBc. In most cases these reactions were due to a reactant having a sedimentation coefficient and an electrophoretic mobility resembling that of IgM. This reactant generally did not appear to confer resistance to challenge with HBV. The humoral immune response was characterized as being entirely of the IgM class 2 weeks after immunization and switched entirely into the IgG class by 10-12 weeks after vaccine administration. At the time of challenge all animals with antibody had anti-HBs of subtype a.     

Naive T cells can mediate delayed-type hypersensitivity response in T cell receptor transgenic mice

We produced transgenic mice expressing Tcell receptor-αβ chain genes, derived from the chicken ovalbumin (OVA)-specific I-A^d-restricted CD4⁺CD8^? T helper cell clone 7–3–7. In transgenic mice with H-2^d genetic background (Tg-d mice), delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) was induced in the hind footpad by one inoculation with OVA without any previous sensitization, suggesting that naive T cells have the potential to be involved in DTH response. Spleen cells from nonimmunized Tg-d mice showed a strong T cell proliferative response to in vitro stimulation with OVA. Furthermore, these spleen cells produce cytokines including interleukin(IL)-2, IL-3, interferon-γ, granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α and MIP-1β, which may play an important role in the attraction of mononuclear cells to an antigen-challenging site.     

Enhanced magnitude and breadth of neutralizing humoral response to a DNA vaccine targeting the DHBV envelope protein delivered by in vivo electroporation

We explored in the duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) model the impact of electroporation (EP)-mediated DNA vaccine delivery on the neutralizing humoral response to viral preS/S large envelope protein. EP enhanced the kinetics and magnitude of anti-preS response compared to the standard needle DNA injection (SI). Importantly, EP dramatically enhanced the neutralizing potency of the humoral response, since antibodies induced by low DNA dose (10 μg) were able to highly neutralize DHBV and to recognize ten antigenic regions, including four neutralization epitopes. Whereas, SI-induced antibodies by the same low DNA dose were not neutralizing and the epitope pattern was extremely narrow, since it was limited to only one epitope. Thus, EP-based delivery was able to improve the dose efficiency of DNA vaccine and to maintain a highly neutralizing, multi-specific B-cell response, suggesting that it may be an effective approach for chronic hepatitis B therapy at clinically feasible DNA dose.     

The effect of rapamycin on T cell development in mice

Rapamycin (RAPA) is a strong immunosuppressant with a chemical structure similar to that of FK506, although it acts by a mechanism different from both FK506 and cyclosporin A. The effect of RAPA on T cell development in mice was investigated in this study. RAPA caused significant thymic atrophy. The major histological change in the RAPA-treated thymus was thinning of the cortex. No other apparent damage in the cortex or medulla was observed. Consistent with these histological findings, in vivo thymocyte cycling was blocked by RAPA before the S phase, and the ex vivo and in vitro proliferation of the thymocytes was also strongly repressed by the drug. According to electron microscopy and DNA fragmentation assays, RAPA did not induce apoptosis. These results indicate that the repressed thymocyte proliferation is a major mechanism causing RAPA-induced thymic atrophy. Further, RAPA had no effect on thymocyte apoptosis induced by anti-CD3 or ionomycin, and the drug did not interfere with deletion of CD4⁺8⁺ thymocytes or peripheral Vβ6⁺ T cells induced by anti-CD3 or Mls-1^a, respectively. These data suggest that RAPA does not hamper the negative selection. There was a relative increase in the CD3^? fraction of the de novo developing CD4 and CD8 double-positive (DP) thymocytes in the RAPA-treated mice. Moreover, there were relative increases of the CD3^? fractions of the CD4 or CD8 single-positive (SP) cells in both the thymi and periphery. The generation of the CD3^? SP under the influence of RAPA could be used as a useful model for further study of the function and signal transduction of these CD3-defective SP cells.     

Leprosy patients with lepromatous disease recognize cross-reactive T cell epitopes in the Mycobacterium leprae 10-kD antigen

T cell responses play a critical role in determining protective responses to leprosy. Patients with self-limiting tuberculoid leprosy show high T cell reactivity, while patients with disseminated lepromatous form of the disease show absent to low levels of T cell reactivity. Since the T cell reactivity of lepromatous patients to purified protein derivative (PPD), a highly cross-reactive antigen, is similar to that of tuberculoid patients, we queried if lepromatous patients could recognize cross-reactive epitopes in Mycobacterium leprae antigens as well. T cell responses were analysed to a recombinant antigen 10-kD (a heat shock cognate protein) which is available from both M. tuberculosis (MT) and M. leprae (ML) and displays 90% identity in its amino acid sequence. Lymphoproliferative responses were assessed to ML and MT 10 kD in newly diagnosed leprosy patients (lepromatous, n = 23; tuberculoid, n = 65). Lepromatous patients showed similar, but low, lymphoproliferative responses to ML and MT 10 kD, while tuberculoid patients showed much higher responses to ML 10 kD. This suggests that the tuberculoid patients may be recognizing both species-specific and cross-reactive epitopes in ML 10 kD, while lepromatous patients may be recognizing only cross-reactive epitopes. This was further supported by linear regression analysis. Lepromatous patients showed a high concordance in T cell responses between ML and MT 10 kD (r = 0.658; P < 0.0006) not observed in tuberculoid patients (r = 0.203; P > 0.1). Identification of cross-reactive T cell epitopes in M. leprae which could induce protective responses should prove valuable in designing second generation peptide-based vaccines.