CD4+-T-cell responses generated during murine Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infection are directed towards multiple epitopes within the natural antigen FliC

Infect Immun. 2005 Nov;73(11):7226-35. doi: 10.1128/IAI.73.11.7226-7235.2005.

Abstract

The flagellar filament protein FliC is a natural antigen recognized by memory CD4+ T cells recovered from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium-infected humans and mice. To further investigate T-cell responses to FliC, we derived FliC-specific CD4+-T-cell clones from mice of two different haplotypes following oral S. enterica serovar Typhimurium infection. Using C-terminal truncations of MalE-FliC recombinant fusion proteins, we mapped antigenic activity to four different regions of FliC; three of the four epitope-containing regions were present in both FliC and the alternate flagellin subunit FljB. We determined that two novel FliC epitopes were also present in flagellins from several gram-negative enteric bacterial species: E(k)-restricted FliC 80-94 (amino acids 80 to 94) and A(b)-restricted FliC 455-469. Further mapping confirmed the presence of two previously identified FliC epitopes: A(k)-restricted FliC 339-350 and A(b)-restricted FliC 428-442. Therefore, like the recognition site of the innate immune receptor Toll-like receptor 5, three of four FliC epitopes recognized by CD4+ T cells colocalize in the D0/D1 domains of FliC. Salmonella-infected macrophages and dendritic cells stimulated epitope-specific CD4+-T-cell proliferation; infected dendritic cells also activated T cells to produce gamma interferon. These data demonstrate that Salmonella infection generates murine CD4+-T-cell responses to multiple epitopes in the natural antigen FliC and that recognition of infected phagocytes by FliC-specific CD4+ T cells triggers effector functions known to be essential for protective immunity. Together, these data suggest that FliC-specific CD4+ T cells may contribute to cell-mediated host defenses against Salmonella.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Epitopes / chemistry*
  • Epitopes / immunology*
  • Female
  • Flagellin / chemistry*
  • Flagellin / genetics
  • Flagellin / immunology*
  • Interferon-gamma / immunology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C3H
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phagocytes / immunology
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Salmonella Infections, Animal / immunology*
  • Salmonella typhimurium / immunology*
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid

Substances

  • Epitopes
  • Flagellin
  • Interferon-gamma