02380nas a2200361   4500000000100000008004100001260001600042653002300058653002200081653001400103653001400117653001600131653001100147653002600158653002100184653002500205653001800230100001200248700001400260700001700274700001400291700001400305700001400319700001400333700001300347700001500360700001300375245011200388300001100500490000800511520148500519022001402004       1989                            d  c1989 Apr 1510aBacterial Proteins10aBlotting, Western10aCell Line10aCell Wall10aClone Cells10aHumans10aLymphocyte Activation10aMolecular Weight10aMycobacterium leprae10aT-Lymphocytes1 aMehra V1 aBloom B R1 aTorigian V K1 aMandich D1 aReichel M1 aYoung S M1 aSalgame P1 aConvit J1 aHunter S W1 aMcNeil M00aCharacterization of Mycobacterium leprae cell wall-associated proteins with the use of T lymphocyte clones.  a2873-80 v1423 a<p>Development of a vaccine against leprosy depends on the identification of Ag that stimulate cell-mediated immune responses. We have previously demonstrated that cell wall proteins of Mycobacterium leprae are highly immunogenic. By using human cell wall-specific T cell clones we have begun to characterize soluble proteins that integrate into the cell wall skeleton. T cells from leprosy lesions were expanded with IL-2 in vitro yet retained specificity to Ag of the insoluble cell wall core (CWC) in vitro, indicating that T cells had been activated by CWC Ag in vivo. A cell wall protein-peptidoglycan complex and cell wall protein preparations lacking carbohydrates and lipids from CWC retained T cell reactivity. To identify immunogenic protein component(s) of cell wall protein, T cell lines were established to cell walls and tested against M. leprae proteins separated by SDS-PAGE and transferred to nitrocellulose. Greatest T cell reactivity was observed to proteins of Mr 7 kDa, 16 kDa, and 28 kDa. T cell clones reactive with 7-kDa and 16-kDa Ag from gels failed to respond to proteins of other Mr separated under either reducing or nonreducing conditions, indicating that these molecules are not subunits of larger proteins and may represent monomeric units polymerized into cell walls. The approaches described herein for characterization of immunodominant T cell Ag of M. leprae may be useful for study of T cell Ag in cell walls of bacterial pathogens of man.</p>  a0022-1767