Memory T Cells in Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection Are Directed against Three Antigenic Islands and Largely Contained in a CXCR3+CCR6+ Th1 Subset

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003130
• Publication Date: 2013-01-24T22:06:00Z
• Authors: Cecilia S. Lindes...; Anna Gerasimova; Federico Mele; Ryan Henderson; Justine Swann; Jason A. Greenbaum; Yohan Kim; John Sidney; Eddie A. James; Randy Taplitz; Denise M. McKinney; William W. Kwok; Howard Grey; Federica Sallusto; Bjoern Peters; Alessandro Sette
• Keywords: ELISPOT

An understanding of the immunological footprint Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) CD4 T cell recognition is still incomplete. Here we report that human Th1 cells specific for MTB are largely contained in a CXCR3(+)CCR6(+) memory subset and highly focused on three broadly immunodominant antigenic islands, all related to bacterial secretion systems. Our results refute notion secreted antigens act as decoy, since both proteins comprising system itself targeted by fully functional response. In addition, several novel were identified which can be potential diagnostic use, or vaccine antigens. These underline power truly unbiased, genome-wide, analysis based combined use epitope predictions, high throughput ELISPOT, libraries using PBMCs from individuals latently infected with MTB.