Published ahead of print on December 18, 2002, doi:10.1164/rccm.200206-589OC
© 2003 American Thoracic Society
TA-19, a Novel Protein Antigen of Trichosporon asahii, in Summer-type Hypersensitivity PneumonitisDepartment of Pulmonary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku; and Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Bokutoh Hospital, Kotohbashi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Yutaka Usui, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8519, Japan. E-mail: usuibokutoh{at}hotmail.com The most common form of hypersensitivity pneumonitis in Japan is summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis (SHP), which is caused by the inhalation of Trichosporon asahii or Trichosporon mucoides. To seek protein antigens relevant to the immunopathogenesis of SHP, we constructed a cDNA expression library of T. asahii, a major causative yeast species of SHP. Using the immunoscreening method, we identified and cloned a novel gene encoding a 19-kD protein, named TA-19, which proved to be specifically recognized in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids and sera of patients with SHP. IgG, IgA, and IgM antibodies to the recombinant TA-19 protein were significantly elevated in the sera as well as in the BAL fluids from SHP patients compared with those from non-SHP groups. This protein also induced SHP-specific proliferation of the mononuclear cells from both the peripheral blood and BAL. These results reveal that TA-19 derived from T. asahii may play a relevant role in specific cellular and humoral immune responses in patients with SHP.
Key Words: cDNA expression library antigen-specific antibody lymphocyte proliferation assay bronchoalveolar lavage G-X-X-X-Q-X-W motif This article has been cited by other articles:
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