Human autoreactive T cells recognize CD1b and phospholipids

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1520947112
• Publication Date: 2015-12-01T04:15:18Z
• Authors: Ildiko Van Rhijn; Twan van Berlo; Tamara Hilmenyuk; Tan-Yun Cheng; Benjamin J. Wolf; Raju V. V. Tatituri; Adam P. Uldrich; Giorgio Napolitani; Vincenzo Cerundolo; John D. Altman; Peter Willemsen; Shouxiong Huang; Jamie Rossjohn; Gurdyal S. Besra; Michael B. Brenner; Dale I. Godfrey; D. Branch Moody
• Keywords: T-Lymphocytes; Lipid antigen; T cell; Antigen-Presenting Cells; Self-antigen; Phosphatidylglycerols; CD1b; Lymphocyte Activation; Transfection; Mass Spectrometry; Antigens, CD1; HEK293 Cells; Humans; K562 Cells; Dendritic cell; Phospholipids

Significance Peptides are known to be targets of autoreactive T cells that can cause autoimmune diseases. Here we show human recognize self-lipids displayed on the surface by CD1b proteins. A particular lipid is recognized cells, phosphatidylglycerol, present in mammalian mitochondria and bacteria. Therefore, these data define a phospholipid autoantigen released during mitochondrial stress bacterial infection.