@article{6722,
  keywords = {Adult, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Antigen Presentation, Antigens, CD, B7-2 Antigen, CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes, CD40 Ligand, CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes, Dendritic Cells, Female, HLA Antigens, Humans, Immunity, Cellular, Interferon-gamma, Interleukin-2, leprosy, Leukocyte Common Antigens, Lymphocyte Activation, Male, Membrane Glycoproteins, Membrane Proteins, Middle Aged, Mycobacterium leprae},
  author = {Makino M and Maeda Y and Ishii N},
  title = {Immunostimulatory activity of major membrane protein-II from Mycobacterium leprae.},
  abstract = {<p>We examined the antigenicity of an immunomodulatory protein, major membrane protein (MMP)-II, from Mycobacterium leprae, since host defense against M. leprae largely depends on adaptive immunity. Both unprimed and memory T cells from healthy individuals were stimulated by autologous MMP-II-pulsed monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) to produce IFN-gamma. The DC-mediated IFN-gamma production was dependent on the expression of MHC, CD86, and MMP-II antigens. Memory T cells from paucibacillary (PB) leprosy more extensively responded to MMP-II-pulsed DCs than T cells from healthy individuals, while comparable IFN-gamma was produced by unprimed T cells. Memory T cells from multibacillary leprosy, which are normally believed to be anergic, were activated similarly to those from healthy individuals by MMP-II-pulsed DCs. These results suggest that memory T cells from PB leprosy are primed with MMP-II prior to the manifestation of the disease, and MMP-II is highly antigenic in terms of activation of adaptive immunity.</p>},
  year = {2005},
  journal = {Cellular immunology},
  volume = {233},
  pages = {53-60},
  month = {2005 Jan},
  issn = {0008-8749},
  doi = {10.1016/j.cellimm.2005.04.001},
  language = {eng},
}