Cross-reactive cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-mediated lysis of Chlamydia trachomatis- and Chlamydia psittaci-infected cells

• Published in: Infection and Immunity Vol. 65; no. 3; pp. 951 - 956
• Main Authors: BEATTY, P. R, RASMUSSEN, S. J, STEPHENS, R. S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for Microbiology 01-03-1997
• Subjects: Animals; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Brefeldin A; chlamydia; Chlamydia trachomatis - immunology; Chlamydophila psittaci - immunology; Concanavalin A - pharmacology; Cross Reactions; Cycloheximide - pharmacology; Cyclopentanes - pharmacology; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; linfocitos; lymphocyte; lymphocytes; Mice; Mice, Inbred C3H; Microbiology; Pathogenicity, virulence, toxins, bacteriocins, pyrogens, host-bacteria relations, miscellaneous strains; Rabbits; Spleen - cytology; Spleen - immunology; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic - immunology; Cytolysis; Chlamydiaceae; T-Lymphocyte; Cross reaction; Chlamydiales; Chlamydia psittaci; Bacteria; Cytotoxicity; Chlamydia trachomatis; Cellular immunity; Infected cell; In vitro
• ISSN: 0019-9567; 1098-5522
• DOI: 10.1128/IAI.65.3.951-956.1997

Cells infected with Chlamydia trachomatis are lysed by CD8+ T cells in vitro. The ability of C. trachomatis-elicited spleen cells to lyse target cells infected with other chlamydial strains was determined by measuring lysis by spleen cells of targets infected with three strains of C. trachomatis and two strains of C. psittaci. C. trachomatis (lymphogranuloma venereum [LGV])-elicited immune murine spleen cells lysed target cells infected with other C. trachomatis serovars, although with lower sensitivity than they lysed LGV-infected target cells. Additionally, target cells infected with C. psittaci were lysed by C. trachomatis-elicited immune spleen cells. Notably, C. psittaci-infected cells were lysed with greater efficiency than were cells infected with the C. trachomatis strain used to elicit the immune spleen cells. The lysis of C psittaci-infected cells was characterized further and could be only partially accounted for by CD8+ T-cell-mediated lysis, the remaining lysis being due to an antigen-nonspecific component. These results indicate that mechanisms of immunologically mediated lysis differ between C. trachomatis- and C. psittaci-infected cells. This has important implications for the interpretation of results obtained with C. psittaci models of infection and immune resolution, particularly as they may be extrapolated to C. trachomatis.