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Stronger proliferative response to membrane versus cell-wall Streptococcal proteins by peripheral blood T cells in

B S Baker1, D Brown, V A Fischetti

  • 1Department of Dermatology Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, St Mary's Campus, London, UK. b.baker@ic.ac.uk

Scandinavian Journal of Immunology
|March 21, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Patients with psoriasis exhibit an enhanced T-cell response to Group A Streptococcus (GAS) antigens, specifically M protein and other cell wall and membrane proteins. This heightened immune reactivity suggests a potential link between GAS and psoriasis pathogenesis.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Dermatology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition with complex immune system involvement.
  • Group A Streptococcus (GAS) has been implicated in triggering or exacerbating autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from psoriasis patients to various GAS antigens.
  • To determine if psoriatic T-cells show a heightened reactivity to specific GAS components, including M protein and cell wall/membrane antigens.

Main Methods:

  • Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 24 psoriasis patients and 15 disease controls were isolated.
  • PBMC were exposed to cell wall extracts (including M protein) from GAS types M4 and M12, recombinant M6 protein, and cell-wall/membrane extracts from M6+ GAS and its M gene deletion mutant (M6-).
  • Proliferative responses were measured to assess T-cell reactivity to the different GAS antigens.

Main Results:

  • Psoriatic PBMCs showed significantly stronger proliferation to M12 cell wall extracts compared to M4 GAS (P=0.0348) and to M6+ versus M6- GAS (P=0.0019).
  • A markedly greater proliferation was observed in psoriatics in response to M6+ membrane extracts compared to cell wall extracts (P=0.0002).
  • Responses to both M6+ and M6- membrane extracts were higher in psoriatics than in controls, indicating a general heightened response to membrane components.

Conclusions:

  • Patients with psoriasis demonstrate a heightened circulating T-cell response to GAS cell wall M protein.
  • There is also an increased T-cell reactivity to non-M proteins present on the cell wall and membrane of GAS in psoriatic individuals.
  • These findings suggest a potential role for GAS antigens in the immune dysregulation observed in psoriasis.

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