Gattass C R, Lima M T, Nóbrega A F, Barcinski M A, Dos Reis G A
Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Infect Immun. 1988 May;56(5):1402-5. doi: 10.1128/iai.56.5.1402-1405.1988.
Anti-heart T-cell activity was evaluated by a lymph node cell proliferative assay in isogenic strains of mice immunized with several Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigote and trypomastigote antigenic preparations. In addition, chronically infected animals were boosted with trypomastigote antigens and their lymph node cells were tested by in vitro proliferative responses. Our results indicated that (i) use of allogeneic sources of heart antigens may induce alloreactive responses in T. cruzi-immune T cells, (ii) specific autoimmune T-cell reactivity against self-heart constituents could not be demonstrated after immunization of the host with T. cruzi, and (iii) a proportion of chronically infected mice showed a small but detectable level of auto-anti-heart T-cell reactivity. These results argue against the notion that T. cruzi epitopes cross-reactive with self-heart tissue play a role in initiating T-cell-mediated autoimmunity. Anti-heart autoreactive T cells, generated in a proportion of the animals, may result from heart lesions associated with the infection process.
在用几种克氏锥虫前鞭毛体和锥鞭毛体抗原制剂免疫的同基因小鼠品系中，通过淋巴结细胞增殖试验评估抗心脏T细胞活性。此外，用锥鞭毛体抗原对慢性感染动物进行加强免疫，并通过体外增殖反应检测其淋巴结细胞。我们的结果表明：（i）使用心脏抗原的同种异体来源可能会在克氏锥虫免疫的T细胞中诱导同种异体反应；（ii）在用克氏锥虫免疫宿主后，未证明存在针对自身心脏成分的特异性自身免疫T细胞反应性；（iii）一部分慢性感染小鼠表现出低水平但可检测到的自身抗心脏T细胞反应性。这些结果与以下观点相悖，即与自身心脏组织交叉反应的克氏锥虫表位在引发T细胞介导的自身免疫中起作用。在一部分动物中产生的抗心脏自身反应性T细胞可能源于与感染过程相关的心脏病变。
