Immunological consequences of intragenus conservation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis T-cell epitopes.

ABSTRACT: A previous unbiased genome-wide analysis of CD4 Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) recognition using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from individuals with latent MTB infection (LTBI) or nonexposed healthy controls (HCs) revealed that certain MTB sequences were unexpectedly recognized by HCs. In the present study, it was found that, based on their pattern of reactivity, epitopes could be divided into LTBI-specific, mixed reactivity, and HC-specific categories. This pattern corresponded to sequence conservation in nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTMs), suggesting environmental exposure as an underlying cause of differential reactivity. LTBI-specific epitopes were found to be hyperconserved, as previously reported, whereas the opposite was true for NTM conserved epitopes, suggesting that intrag

SUBMITTER: Lindestam Arlehamn CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4299226 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature