Cellular Immune Responses to Cell Wall Peptidoglycan Associated Protein Antigens in Tuberculosis Patients and Healthy Subjects

• Published in: MICROBIOLOGY and IMMUNOLOGY Vol. 41; no. 6; pp. 495 - 502
• Main Authors: Dhiman, Neelam, Verma, Indu, Khuller, Gopal Krishan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.1997; Center For Academic Publications Japan; Center for Academic Publications Japan
• Subjects: Antigens, Bacterial - immunology; Antigens, Bacterial - isolation & purification; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Adhesion; Cell Wall - immunology; Cell wall proteins; Cross Reactions; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Immunity, Cellular; Lymphocyte Activation; Macrophage Activation; Microbiology; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Pathogenicity, virulence, toxins, bacteriocins, pyrogens, host-bacteria relations, miscellaneous strains; Peptidoglycan - immunology; Phagocytic index; Phagocytosis; Proliferative response; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - immunology; Human; Immunostimulation; Immune response; Mycobacterial infection; In vitro; Cell wall; Infection; Antigen; Peptidoglycan; Tuberculosis; Immunogenicity; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Mycobacteriales; T-Lymphocyte; Bacteriosis; Mycobacteriaceae; Bacteria; Actinomycetes; Macrophage
• ISSN: 0385-5600; 1348-0421
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1997.tb01883.x

We have isolated cell wall peptidoglycan associated proteins (CW-Pr) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra by chemical treatment with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid:anisole (2:1), which further resolved into 71, 60 and 45kDa proteins on SDS-PAGE. A study was carried out to investigate the immunoreactivity of these proteins with blood samples from 4 categories, including 15 tuberculous patients (TB), 5 tuberculous patients on ATT (TBT), 10 PPD non-reactive healthy controls (HPPD-) and 11 PPD reactive healthy controls (HPPD+). Comparing the proliferative responses to cell wall protein antigens, it was observed that the 71kDa protein gave maximum stimulation with PBMCs from the TB and HPPD+ groups. The adherent PBMCs from the TB group also demonstrated enhanced phagocytosis, particularly in the presence of 71 and 45kDa proteins, and the phagocytic index was significantly higher (P<0.05) than the TBT group. However, PBMCs from of the groups recognized the 60kDa cell wall antigen. Our results suggest that the 71kDa protein from the cell wall of M. tuberculosis is highly immunogenic.