Stronger proliferative response to membrane versus cell-wall streptococcal proteins by peripheral blood T cells in chronic plaque psoriasis

Proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to group A streptococcal (GAS) antigens have been studied in 24 patients with psoriasis and 15 disease controls. Extracts of cell wall (including M protein) from types M4 and M12 GAS, recombinant M6 protein, and both cell-wall and cell-membrane extracts from type M6 (M6+) GAS and its corresponding M gene deletion mutant (M6-) were tested. PBMC from psoriatic patients proliferated more strongly to cell-wall extracts from M12 versus M4 (P = 0.0348), and to M6+ versus M6- (P = 0.0019) GAS with, in most cases, moderate proliferation to recombinant M6 protein. The psoriatic response to M12 cell wall was significantly increased compared to the controls (P = 0.0032). In psoriatics, M6+ membrane extracts induced a markedly greater proliferation than those of cell wall (P = 0.0002); responses to M6+ (P = 0.0039) and M6- (P = 0.0114) membrane extracts were higher than those of the control PBMC. Both groups showed a decreased response to the M6- versus M6+ membrane extracts (P = 0.0030; P = 0.0181, respectively). This study has demonstrated that patients with psoriasis have a heightened circulating T-cell response to cell wall M protein and to non-M proteins present on the cell wall and membrane of GAS.