Abstract
A low molecular weight fraction from chitinase digested cell walls ofT. mentagrophytes containing both polysaccharide and peptide moieties was found to have immunological reactivity at both the cellular and humoral level. This fraction (UM2(a)) was further degraded by treatment with either a combination of pronase and carboxypeptidase A or with trypsin. Peptides were separated from the carbohydrate-rich fraction by ultrafiltration. The carbohydrate-rich fraction retained the ability to induce both immediate and delayed skin reactions in sensitized guinea pigs and to stimulate the proliferation of sensitized lymphocytesin vitro. The peptide moieties retained reactivity in that they caused delayed reactions and lymphocyte proliferation but were unable to induce immediate or Arthus reactions in sensitized animals. Tryptic peptides from UM2(a) were purified by ion exchange chromatography. A high proportion of these peptides demonstrated immunological activity at both the cellular and humoral level since they were capable of inducing delayed reactions and/or lymphocyte transformation, as well as being capable of blocking the complement fixation reaction between UM2 (a) and specific antiserum.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Al-Rammahy, A. Kh., Julia Gerwing Levy, Barbara Kelly 1979. Isolation and partial characterization of immunologicall reactive fractions from chitinase digested cell walls of Trichophyton mentagrophytes Mycopathologia 66: 129–137
Barker, S.A., C.N.D. Cruickshank and J.H. Holden. 1963. Structure of galactomannan-peptide allergen from T. mentagrophytes. Biochimi Biophysica Acta 74: 239–246.
Barker, S.A., O. Basarab and C.N.D. Cruickshank. 1967. Galactomannan peptides of T. mentagrophytes. Carbohydrate Research 3: 325–332.
Canfield, R.E. 1963a. Peptides derived from tryptic digestion of egg white lysozyme. Journal Biological Chemistry 238: 2691–2697.
Christiansen, Aa. H. and E. Svejgaard. 1976. Studies of the antigenic structure of T. rubrum, T. mentagrophytes, Microsporum canis and Epidermophyton floccosum by cross immunoelectrophoresis. Acta pathologica mirobiologica Scandinavica, section C. 84: 337–341.
Gerwing, J. & K. Thompson. 1968. Studies on the antigenic properties of egg-white lysozyme I. Isolation and characterization of a tryptic peptide from reduced and alkylated lysozyme exhibiting haptenic activity. Biochemistry 7, 3888.
Gregerson, D.S., B. Kelly & J.G. Levy. 1975. Responses of guinea pig lymphocytes to mitogens, an antigen, and mixed leucocyte culture in media with and without mercaptoethanol and foetal calf serum. Immunology 29, 237.
Hanifin, J.M., L.F. Ray & W. Lobitz. 1974. Immunological reactivity in dermatophytosis. British Journal of Dermatology 90: 1.
Hirs, C.M.W., S. Moore & W.H. Stein. 1956. Peptides obtained by tryptic hydrolysis of performic acid-oxidized Ribonuclease. Journal of Biological Chemistry 219: 623–642.
How, V.M.J., M.T. Withnall & C.N.D. Cruickshank, 1972. Allergenic glucans from dermatophytes. Carbohydrate Research 25: 341–353.
Ito, Y., (1965). On the immunologically active substances of the dermatophytes. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 45: 275–284.
Nozawa, Y., T. Noguchi, Y. Ito, N. Sudo & S. Watanabe. 1971. Immunological studies on T. mentagrophytes. Sabouraudia 9: 129–138.
Shechter, Y., J.W. Landau, Nina Dabrowa & V.D. Newcomer. 1966. Comparative disc electrophoretic studies of proteins from dermatophytes. Sabouraudia 5: 144–149.
Spitler, L., E. Benjamini, J.D. Young, H. Kaplan & H.H. Fudenberg. 1970. Studies on the immune response to a characterized antigenic determinant of the tobacco mosaic virus protein. Journal of Experimental Medicine 131, 133.
Waksman, B.H. (1949). A comparison of the von Krogh formula (logistic function) and the method of probits as applied to haemolysis, of complement. Journal of Immunology 63: 409.
Waterfield, D., J.G. Levy, D.G. Kilburn & R.M. Teather. The effect of haptenic peptides from performic acid oxidized ferredoxin from Clostridium pasteurianum and protein carrier-hapten conjugates on the immune response of macrophages and lymphoid cells from animals immunized against oxidized ferredoxin. Cellular Immunology 3: 253–263.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This work was supported by grant number 6411 from the Medical Research Council of Canada.
A. Kh. Al-Rammahy was supported by a scholarship from the Ministry of High Education, Iraq.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Al-Rammahy, A.K., Levy, J.G. & Kelly, B. Characterization of immunologically active peptides from the cell wall of T.mentagrophytes. Mycopathologia 66, 139–146 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00683962
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00683962