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pubmed:abstractText |
Cholesterol-binding cytolysins constitute an evolutionarily conserved family of pore-forming proteins expressed by different gram-positive pathogens. Listeriolysin O, one well-characterized member of the cytolysin family, is also known to induce specific CD4 and CD8 T cell responses upon infection of mice with Listeria monocytogenes. Here we describe an HLA-DRB1*0301-restricted listeriolysin O-derived T cell epitope that is conserved among several members of the cytolysin family. An HLA-DRB1*0301-restricted CD4+ T cell line, established from spleen lymphocytes of L. monocytogenes-infected HLA-DRB1*0301-transgenic mice, cross-reacted with a homologous peptide from perfringolysin O, a cytolysin expressed by Clostridium perfringens. Ex vivo analysis of infected mice revealed an even broader cross-reaction of T cells with homologous peptides derived from perfringolysin O, streptolysin O, and cereolysin O. Interestingly, a cross-reactive memory CD4+ T cell response against the homologous peptides derived from listeriolysin O and perfringolysin O could also be detected in the blood from healthy HLA-DRB1*0301+ human donors. Remarkably, this response was even present in donors who did not exhibit a memory T cell reactivity against a second, non-conserved HLA-DRB1*0301-restricted LLO-derived CD4 T cell epitope, suggesting that cytolysin-producing bacteria other than L. monocytogenes can stimulate a cross-reactive cytolysin-specific immunity.
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pubmed:affiliation |
Skin Cancer Unit of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Faculty for Clinical Medicine Mannheim of the University Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany.
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