Miller M A, Skeen M J, Ziegler H K
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
J Immunol. 1997 Oct 15;159(8):3675-9.
IL-12 is a pivotal cytokine signal for the development of Th1-type cellular responses that are required for control of intracellular pathogens. We previously demonstrated that coinjection of IL-12 with heat-killed Listeria monocytogenes, which was not immunogenic when injected alone, elicited intense Ag-specific T cell responses that conferred protection against subsequent challenge with Listeria. Herein we describe the remarkable finding that a nonimmunogenic synthetic peptide corresponding to a dominant MHC class II (H-2k)-restricted listerial determinant, when coinjected i.p. with murine IL-12, elicited potent Ag-specific immune responses that conferred protective immunity against Listeria.
IL-12是Th1型细胞应答发育的关键细胞因子信号，而Th1型细胞应答是控制细胞内病原体所必需的。我们之前证明，将IL-12与热灭活的单核细胞增生李斯特菌共同注射时，单独注射该菌并无免疫原性，但共同注射能引发强烈的抗原特异性T细胞应答，从而对后续的李斯特菌攻击提供保护。在此，我们描述了一个显著发现：一种与主要的II类MHC（H-2k）限制性李斯特菌决定簇相对应的无免疫原性合成肽，当与小鼠IL-12腹腔内共同注射时，能引发有效的抗原特异性免疫应答，从而对李斯特菌提供保护性免疫。
