title: Human S-antigen: presence of multiple immunogenic and immunopathogenic sites in the Lewis rat.
abstract: To identify the immunogenic and immunopathogenic sites present in human S-Antigen (S-Ag), 40 overlapping peptides that span the whole length of the S-Ag molecule were synthesized and tested in the Lewis rat model of experimental autoimmune uveitis. The most pathogenic sequences were 180-200, 340-360 and 350-370. Ten peptide sequences were identified that induced visible inflammation in the eye. A total of 23 peptides gave an in-vitro proliferative response following immunization in animals. The ability to generate an immune response was not linked to the pathogenic capacity of the sequence. The most pathogenic sequence, 340-360, was only weakly proliferative. Peptide 180-200 and peptide 340-360 gave higher T-cell proliferative responses, but these were lower than the maximal proliferative response observed with non-pathogenic sequences. In animals immunized with whole S-Ag, the majority of the determinants did not elicit a proliferative response, indicating that in S-Ag, the majority of the immunogenic determinants are cryptic and are not presented by the APC located in the lymph nodes.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunology, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: de Smet
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bitar
authors.forename: F G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Roberge
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gery
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Nussenblatt
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D019393:Arrestin; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D002417:Cattle; D000939:Epitopes / Q000032:analysis; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D015866:Uveitis, Posterior / Q000276:immunology*; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D019393:Arrestin; D000939:Epitopes; D005136:Eye Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic