Diversity of the human allergen-specific T cell repertoire associated with distinct skin test reactions: delayed-type hypersensitivity-associated major epitopes induce Th1- and Th2-dominated responses.

Distinct immune responses in humans to the Trichophyton rubrum Ag, Tri r 2, are associated with different patterns of T cell epitope recognition based on in vitro proliferation to peptides derived from this 29-kDa protein. Specifically, the amino-terminal immunodominant epitope, peptide 5 (P5), stimulates strong T cell proliferative responses in subjects with delayed (DTH), but not immediate (IH) hypersensitivity skin tests. Evidence of a role for cytokines or changes in epitope recognition over time was examined in responses to Trichophyton using primary PBMC cultures established from seven IH and seven DTH subjects. Responses stimulated by Tri r 2 were dominated by the Th1 cytokine IFN-gamma (IFN-gamma:IL-5 > or = 4:1) in five DTH subjects, even in the presence of Th2-dominated responses (IFN-gamma:IL-5 < or = 3:1) to a subset of major epitopes. Paradoxically, P5 induced IL-5 and IL-10 production in DTH, but not IH subjects (p = 0.003 (IL-5), p = 0.024 (IL-10)), with no significant difference in IFN-gamma levels between the two groups. In cultures from IH responders, no IL-5 was measurable after stimulation with P6 and P7 (as well as P5); this region of the molecule was shown previously to stimulate markedly reduced T cell proliferation in these individuals. Repeat proliferation assays confirmed no change in the pattern of peptide recognition after > or =20 mo in IH or DTH subjects. We conclude that T cell repertoires associated with distinct immune responses to Tri r 2 can be distinguished based on Th2 cytokine induction by DTH-associated major epitopes localizing to the amino-terminal region of the molecule.