01830nas a2200325   4500000000100000008004100001260001600042653002400058653002300082653002000105653001100125653002100136653001800157653001200175653002800187653002500215653001800240100001300258700001700271700001600288700001100304700001300315700001600328700001500344245014400359300001100503490000700514520096900521022001401490       2001                            d  c2001 Nov 1210aAmino Acid Sequence10aBacterial Proteins10aHLA-DR Antigens10aHumans10aInterferon-gamma10aInterleukin-510aleprosy10aMolecular Sequence Data10aMycobacterium leprae10aT-Lymphocytes1 aOhyama H1 aMatsushita S1 aNishimura F1 aKato N1 aHatano K1 aTakashiba S1 aMurayama Y00aT cell responses to major membrane protein II (MMP II) of Mycobacterium leprae are restricted by HLA-DR molecules in patients with leprosy.  a475-820 v203 a<p>Major membrane protein II (MMP II) of Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) is a 22kDa protein inducing humoral immune response in leprosy patients. MMP II-specific bulk T cell lines were established from leprosy patients to determine major T cell epitopes in MMP II and to evaluate lymphokine production induced by MMP II. These bulk T cell lines reacted to one or more peptides in the locus of amino acid residues from 23 to 109 of MMP II. The proliferative responses of all T cell lines were mainly inhibited by the addition of anti-DRB1 mAb. Many bulk T cell lines induced IFN-gamma, IL-5, but not IL-4. However, it was not possible to distinguish the LL or TT types of leprosy based on the pattern of T cell epitopes and the lymphokine productivity in the responses against MMP II. Thus, it appears that T cell response to MMP II is restricted by the HLA-DRB1 molecule, but not by DQ and DP molecules, which results in the induction of IFN-gamma production.</p>  a0264-410X