Identification of novel immunogenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis peptides that stimulate mononuclear cells from immune donors

Proteins which are secreted or associated with the cell envelope of Mycobac terium tuberculosis may contain protective T-cell epitopes. Prior to this s tudy, a recombinant clone bank of enzymatically active M. tuberculosis-alka line phosphatase fusions; were screened for immunogenicity in a murine T-ce ll model. Five of these were selected for further study, and the IFN-gamma secretion and proliferation of human PBMC from purified protein derivative- (PPD)-positive and PPD-negative donors were measured in response to oligop eptides, Mtb-PhoA fusions and one full-length protein. Epitopes from four o f the five selected antigens were immunoreactive in the human model and cor responded to cytochrome d ubiquinol oxidase, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I I, MTV005.02 and MTV033.08. Thus, this strategy identified novel human immu nogenic peptides as possible candidates for a subunit vaccine. (C) 1999 Fed eration of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Scienc e B.V. All rights reserved.