Synthetic peptides representing sequence 39 to 59 of rat V beta 8 TCR fail to elicit regulatory T cells reactive with V beta 8 TCR on rat encephalitogenic T cells.
Subpathogenic doses of syngeneic autoreactive T cells protect experimental animals against associated autoimmune disease. Preferential use of the TCR of encephalitogenic T cells suggests that this molecule serves as the target for immunoregulation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Whether peptides derived from the V beta 8 of the rat TCR elicit regulatory T cells and produce the same vaccinating effect against EAE as do whole T cells remains unknown. Here we show that immunization of Lewis rats with V beta 8(39-59), a peptide representing residues 39 to 59 of the rat V beta 8 TCR, does not induce the production of regulatory T cells reactive to the intact TCR V beta 8 containing this sequence. Moreover, animals that had recovered from both actively induced EAE and transferred EAE did not generate regulatory T cells that recognized the V beta 8(39-59) peptide. Further, transfusion of large doses of peptide-specific T cells did not protect the animals from EAE. Our results suggest that the V beta 8(39-59) peptide may comprise so-called cryptic epitopes, which function as immunogens only when dissociated from large protein complexes.
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Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38101-0318.
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000276:immunology*; D006825:Hybridomas; D007114:Immunization; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000637:transplantation
D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; C066890:T cell receptor-V(beta)8-39-59 peptide