T cell responses of normal individuals towards recombinant protein antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

摘要

AbstractRecombinant β‐galactosidase fusion proteins fromMycobacterium tuberculosiswere purified by affinity chromatography and used for stimulation of unselected T lymphocytes freshly isolated from healthy individuals. It was found that the 12kDa, 19‐kDa, 65‐kDa and 71‐kDa recombinant (r) proteins tested stimulated T cells from healthy individuals in an antigen‐specific way. These data demonstrate that it is feasible to screen purified r‐proteins with unselected T cell populations. The existence of T cells with reactivity to these antigens in healthy individuals suggests T cell activation independent from clinical disease and hence that these proteins are not indicative for active