1. Natural CD4+ T-cell responses against Trypanosoma cruzi KMP-11 protein in chronic chagasic patients.
- Author
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Cuellar, Adriana, Rojas, Francia, Bolaños, Natalia, Diez, Hugo, del Carmen Thomas, María, Rosas, Fernando, Velasco, Victor, López, Manuel Carlos, González, John Mario, and Puerta, Concepción
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TRYPANOSOMA ,T cells ,KINETOPLASTIDA ,ANTIGENS ,INTERFERONS - Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi kinetoplastid membrane protein-11 (KMP-11) is able to induce protective immunity in mice. In humans, T-cell immunity during Chagas disease has been documented using parasite antigens allowing the identification of specific CD8
+ T cells. However, little is known about the CD4+ T-cell response during the evolution of the disease. In this paper, the induction of a natural CD4+ T-cell response against the KMP-11 protein in T. cruzi infected humans was studied to assess whether this parasite-derived protein could be processed, presented and detected as a major histocompatibility complex class II restricted epitope. The results show that helper T cells from 5 out of 13 chagasic patients specifically produced interferon-γ after exposure to the KMP-11 antigen, whereas healthy donors and non-chagasic cardiopathic patients did not respond. This is the first description of T. cruzi KMP-11 protein recognition by CD4+ T cells in chronic chagasic patients.Immunology and Cell Biology (2009) 87, 149–153; doi:10.1038/icb.2008.76; published online 28 October 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2009
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