Human adaptive immune receptors recognizing pertussis toxin toxoid (PTx-specific BCR/TCR)

Human adaptive immune receptors recognizing pertussis toxin toxoid are the specialized B-cell receptors (BCRs) and T-cell receptors (TCRs) that identify and respond to the inactivated form of the pertussis toxin (PTx), a major virulence factor of Bordetella pertussis (Locht et al., 2011). These receptors are the primary biological targets of acellular pertussis vaccines, which utilize a chemically or genetically inactivated pertussis toxin (toxoid) to induce protective immunity (Edwards & Berbers, 2014). BCRs on specific B-cell lineages recognize epitopes on the toxin's A-subunit (S1) and B-oligomer (S2-S5), leading to the generation of IgG antibodies that neutralize the toxin's ability to bind host cells and its ADP-ribosyltransferase activity (Nguyen et al., 2015). TCRs on CD4+ T cells recognize PTx-derived peptides presented by MHC class II molecules, providing essential help for B-cell maturation and the establishment of immunological memory (Carbonetti, 2010). The interaction between these receptors and the toxoid is fundamental to vaccine-induced protection, although the relatively rapid waning of this immunity compared to natural infection or whole-cell vaccines remains a significant clinical challenge (Klein et al., 2012). Current research focuses on characterizing the repertoire of these receptors to develop more effective vaccines and therapeutic monoclonal antibodies for treating severe pertussis (Nguyen et al., 2015).

Other names

Anti-pertussis toxin antibodiesPT-specific B-cell receptorsPT-specific T-cell receptorsPertussis toxoid-reactive lymphocytesAnti-PT BCRs

Vaccines containing pertussis toxoid act as antigens that engage these receptors to stimulate clonal expansion and memory formation, while therapeutic monoclonal antibodies mimic these receptors to neutralize the toxin (Edwards & Berbers, 2014; Nguyen et al., 2015).