Rescuing ESAT-6 Specific CD4 T Cells From Terminal Differentiation Is Critical for Long-Term Control of Murine Mtb Infection.

ABSTRACT: In most cases, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) causes life-long chronic infections, which poses unique challenges for the immune system. Most of the current tuberculosis (TB) subunit vaccines incorporate immunodominant antigens and at this point, it is poorly understood how the CD4 T cell subsets recognizing these antigens are affected during long-term infection. Very little is known about the requirements for sustainable vaccine protection against TB. To explore this, we screened 62 human-recognized Mtb antigens during chronic murine Mtb infection and identified the four most immunodominant antigens in this setting (MPT70, Rv3020c, and Rv3019c and ESAT-6). Combined into a subunit vaccine, this fusion protein induced robust protection both in a standard short-term model and in a lo

SUBMITTER: Clemmensen HS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7677256 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature