HLA-A*0201 Recognizes Epitopes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Protein Component.(Brief Article)

2001 JAN 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study in HLA-transgenic mice has enabled researchers to identify epitopes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Ag85B that could serve as subunit components in developing TB vaccines.

The scientists also determined that HLA class I-restricted, CD8(+) T cells against Ag85B of M. tuberculosis are present in HLA-A2/K-b transgenic mice and HLA-A*0201(+) humans.

Writing in the Journal of Immunology, A. Geluk and colleagues at Leiden University in The Netherlands explained that "epitopes for classical MHC class I-restricted CD8(+) T cells, which most likely represent a majority among CD8(+) T cells, have remained ill-defined. HLA-A*0201 is one of the most prevalent class I alleles, with a frequency of over 30% in most populations."

They continued: "The Ag85 complex, a major component of secreted M. tuberculosis proteins, induces strong CD4(+) T-cell responses in M. tuberculosis-infected individuals, and protection against tuberculosis in Ag85-DNA-immunized animals."

Geluk et al. determined that the HLA-A*0201-restricted M. tuberculosis-reactive CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), for which they identified the Ag85 peptide epitopes, were able to recognize HLA-A*0201-positive human macrophages either pulsed with Ag or infected with bacillus ...