Human cytolytic and interferon gamma-secreting CD8+ T lymphocytes specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Journal article

Protective immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis is poorly understood, but mounting evidence, at least in animal models, implicates major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted CD8+ T cells as an essential component. By using a highly sensitive assay for single cell interferon gamma release, we screened an array of M. tuberculosis antigen-derived peptides congruent with HLA class I allele-specific motifs. We identified CD8+ T cells specific for epitopes in the early secretory antigenic target 6 during active tuberculosis, after clinical recovery and in healthy contacts. Unrestimulated cells exhibited peptide-specific interferon gamma secretion, whereas lines or clones recognized endogenously processed antigen and showed cytolytic activity. These results provide direct evidence for the involvement of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes in host defense against M. tuberculosis in humans and support current attempts to generate protective cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses against M. tuberculosis by vaccination.

Authors: Lalvani, A; Brookes, R; Wilkinson, R; Malin, A; Pathan, A

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
• Volume: 95
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 270-275
• Publication date: 1998-01-01
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.95.1.270
• EISSN: 1091-6490
• ISSN: 0027-8424
• Language: English
• Keywords: CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; Tuberculosis; Humans; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Antigens, Bacterial; Molecular Sequence Data; Amino Acid Sequence; Histocompatibility Testing; Bacterial Proteins; Adult; Interferon-gamma