Mycobacterium tuberculosis-reactive thymocytes

描述(由申请人提供)：结核分枝杆菌(Mtb)感染了全球约三分之一的人口。据估计，每年有800万新病例和200万人死亡，使结核病成为一个重大的健康问题。适应性细胞免疫反应在结核病宿主控制中是必不可少的。然而，导致对结核分枝杆菌产生最佳获得性细胞免疫反应所需的许多先天免疫机制仍未确定；更好地了解这一联系对于开发有效的疫苗至关重要。我们已经从人类中鉴定出识别结核杆菌感染的抗原提呈细胞的胸腺细胞群。这一建议旨在1)解决这一假设，即结核分枝杆菌反应性胸腺细胞是先天免疫反应的一个方面，2)确定与这一群体相关的功能效应机制，3)表征结核分枝杆菌反应性胸腺细胞用于识别的抗原处理和递送途径。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infects about one third of the population worldwide. An estimated 8 million new cases and 2 million deaths occur annually placing tuberculosis as a significant health problem. The adaptive cellular immune response is essential in the host control of tuberculosis. However, many of the innate immune mechanisms that are required to result in an optimal acquired cellular immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis remain to be characterized; a better understanding of this link is critical in the development of an effective vaccine. We have identified a thymocyte population from humans that recognizes Mtb-infected antigen-presenting cells. This proposal is designed to 1) address the hypothesis that the Mtb-reactive thymocytes are an aspect of the innate immune response 2) identify the functional effector mechanisms associated with this population 3) characterize the antigen processing and presentation pathway used for recognition by Mtb-reactive thymocytes.