Skip to main content
PMC home page
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1991 Oct;59(10):3372–3376. doi: 10.1128/iai.59.10.3372-3376.1991

Specific T-cell response to a Pneumocystis carinii surface glycoprotein (gp120) after immunization and natural infection.

D J Fisher 1, F Gigliotti 1, M Zauderer 1, A G Harmsen 1
PMCID: PMC258893  PMID: 1894351

Abstract

T cells have been shown to be important in recovery from Pneumocystis carinii pneumonitis, although no specific antigen of P. carinii has been defined as containing T-cell epitopes. P. carinii has an abundant mannosylated surface glycoprotein of approximately 120 kDa (gp120) which induces a prominent host antibody response in experimental animals after exposure to P. carinii in the environment or after recovery from P. carinii pneumonitis. P. carinii gp120 was purified from infected lungs by lectin affinity chromatography. Standard in vitro lymphocyte stimulation assays using purified gp120 and control normal lung preparations were performed on isolated T cells obtained from BALB/c mice after immunization with P. carinii-infected crude lung homogenates or lectin-purified gp120. Lymphocytes from reconstituted severe combined immunodeficient mice which had recovered from naturally acquired P. carinii pneumonitis were also tested. A specific T-cell response was elicited by gp120 after immunization with P. carinii gp120 and after recovery from P. carinii pneumonitis. In addition, the mice developed a strong antibody response to gp120 as ascertained by Western blot (immunoblot). These data suggest that gp120 may be important in the recognition of P. carinii by T cells.

Full text

PDF
3373

Images in this article

3374Image
on p.3374

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Burke B. A., Good R. A. Pneumocystis carinii infection. Medicine (Baltimore) 1973 Jan;52(1):23–51. doi: 10.1097/00005792-197301000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Furuta T., Ueda K., Fujiwara K. Experimental Pneumocystis carinii infection in nude rats. Jpn J Exp Med. 1984 Apr;54(2):65–72. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Furuta T., Ueda K., Kyuwa S., Fujiwara K. Effect of T-cell transfer on Pneumocystis carinii infection in nude mice. Jpn J Exp Med. 1984 Apr;54(2):57–64. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gigliotti F., Ballou L. R., Hughes W. T., Mosley B. D. Purification and initial characterization of a ferret Pneumocystis carinii surface antigen. J Infect Dis. 1988 Oct;158(4):848–854. doi: 10.1093/infdis/158.4.848. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Gigliotti F., Hughes W. T. Passive immunoprophylaxis with specific monoclonal antibody confers partial protection against Pneumocystis carinii pneumonitis in animal models. J Clin Invest. 1988 Jun;81(6):1666–1668. doi: 10.1172/JCI113503. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gigliotti F., Stokes D. C., Cheatham A. B., Davis D. S., Hughes W. T. Development of murine monoclonal antibodies to Pneumocystis carinii. J Infect Dis. 1986 Aug;154(2):315–322. doi: 10.1093/infdis/154.2.315. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Graves D. C., McNabb S. J., Worley M. A., Downs T. D., Ivey M. H. Analyses of rat Pneumocystis carinii antigens recognized by human and rat antibodies by using western immunoblotting. Infect Immun. 1986 Oct;54(1):96–103. doi: 10.1128/iai.54.1.96-103.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hagler D. N., Deepe G. S., Pogue C. L., Walzer P. D. Blastogenic responses to Pneumocystis carinii among patients with human immunodeficiency (HIV) infection. Clin Exp Immunol. 1988 Oct;74(1):7–13. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Harmsen A. G., Stankiewicz M. Requirement for CD4+ cells in resistance to Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in mice. J Exp Med. 1990 Sep 1;172(3):937–945. doi: 10.1084/jem.172.3.937. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Herrod H. G., Valenski W. R., Woods D. R., Pifer L. L. The in vitro response of human lymphocytes to Pneumocystis carinii antigen. J Immunol. 1981 Jan;126(1):59–61. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kovacs J. A., Halpern J. L., Lundgren B., Swan J. C., Parrillo J. E., Masur H. Monoclonal antibodies to Pneumocystis carinii: identification of specific antigens and characterization of antigenic differences between rat and human isolates. J Infect Dis. 1989 Jan;159(1):60–70. doi: 10.1093/infdis/159.1.60. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Linke M. J., Cushion M. T., Walzer P. D. Properties of the major antigens of rat and human Pneumocystis carinii. Infect Immun. 1989 May;57(5):1547–1555. doi: 10.1128/iai.57.5.1547-1555.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lundgren B., Lipschik G. Y., Kovacs J. A. Purification and characterization of a major human Pneumocystis carinii surface antigen. J Clin Invest. 1991 Jan;87(1):163–170. doi: 10.1172/JCI114966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Masur H., Lane H. C., Kovacs J. A., Allegra C. J., Edman J. C. NIH conference. Pneumocystis pneumonia: from bench to clinic. Ann Intern Med. 1989 Nov 15;111(10):813–826. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-111-10-813. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Peglow S. L., Smulian A. G., Linke M. J., Pogue C. L., Nurre S., Crisler J., Phair J., Gold J. W., Armstrong D., Walzer P. D. Serologic responses to Pneumocystis carinii antigens in health and disease. J Infect Dis. 1990 Feb;161(2):296–306. doi: 10.1093/infdis/161.2.296. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Radding J. A., Armstrong M. Y., Ullu E., Richards F. F. Identification and isolation of a major cell surface glycoprotein of Pneumocystis carinii. Infect Immun. 1989 Jul;57(7):2149–2157. doi: 10.1128/iai.57.7.2149-2157.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rao C. P., Gelfand E. W. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonitis in patients with hypogammaglobulinemia and intact T cell immunity. J Pediatr. 1983 Sep;103(3):410–412. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(83)80415-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Shellito J., Suzara V. V., Blumenfeld W., Beck J. M., Steger H. J., Ermak T. H. A new model of Pneumocystis carinii infection in mice selectively depleted of helper T lymphocytes. J Clin Invest. 1990 May;85(5):1686–1693. doi: 10.1172/JCI114621. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Tanabe K., Takasaki S., Watanabe J., Kobata A., Egawa K., Nakamura Y. Glycoproteins composed of major surface immunodeterminants of Pneumocystis carinii. Infect Immun. 1989 May;57(5):1363–1368. doi: 10.1128/iai.57.5.1363-1368.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Walzer P. D., Stanforth D., Linke M. J., Cushion M. T. Pneumocystis carinii: immunoblotting and immunofluorescent analyses of serum antibodies during experimental rat infection and recovery. Exp Parasitol. 1987 Jun;63(3):319–328. doi: 10.1016/0014-4894(87)90179-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES