ABSTRACT
Encephalitogenic activity of myelin basic protein (MBP) isolated in a form retaining binding to all myelin lipids was tested in Lewis rats. Immunization with this new stable lipid-bound and native-like preparation (LB-MBP), induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) as intensively as the classical lipid free MBP (LF-MBP). During the course of the disease, high affinity specific response to LB-MBP and high frequency of LB-MBP specific precursors was observed in peripheral lymphoid organs, indicating that the disease occurred in presence of anti LB-MBP specific T-cell responsivity. Short term lines, generated from lymphocytes collected at the onset of the disease from LB-MBP immunized rats, showed a strong dose-dependent response to LB-MBP, but not to LF-MBP. The present data indicate that in rat, LB-MBP maintains encephalitogenic activity and induces expansion of a specific T-cell population. These data suggest also that LB-MBP is a new autoantigen that may be relevant in human diseases.
Subject(s)
Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/immunology , Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/pathology , Myelin Basic Protein/immunology , Animals , Female , Guinea Pigs , Lipid Metabolism , Lipids/chemistry , Myelin Basic Protein/chemistry , Myelin Sheath/immunology , Myelin Sheath/metabolism , Rats , Rats, Inbred Lew , Spinal Cord/immunology , Spinal Cord/pathology , Spleen/immunology , Spleen/pathology , T-Lymphocytes/immunology , T-Lymphocytes/metabolismABSTRACT
Myelin basic protein (MBP) was isolated from guinea-pig spinal cord in a form retaining the binding to all the myelin lipids. This new, lipid-bound and native-like preparation was used to immunize Lewis rats in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) in order to produce experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). The clinical features were compared with those of Lewis rats immunized with lipid-free MBP (LF-MBP), myelin, LF-MBP + octyl-POE (the non-ionic detergent used for the purification of LB-MBP) and octyl-POE alone. The clinical observation indicate that LB-MBP exerts an encephalitogenic activity on Lewis rats which is more intense than LF-MBP and includes demyelinating lesions in the central nervous system (CNS). The data suggest that LB-MBP is a new encephalitogenic antigen, which may induce more intensive immunization in rats and may be relevant in humans for autoimmune demyelinating diseases of the CNS.
