title: Modulation of EAE by vaccination with T cell receptor peptides: V beta 8 T cell receptor peptide-specific CD4+ lymphocytes lack direct immunoregulatory activity.
abstract: Resistance to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced by vaccination with a peptide representing amino acids 39-59 of the rat T cell receptor (TCR) V beta 8 element has been ascribed to the induction of protective antibodies and T lymphocytes, both recognizing the V beta 8 TCR peptide (TCRP) as well as V beta 8 TCR-expressing encephalitogenic lymphocytes. In this study immunization with the V beta 8 TCR peptide conferred partial resistance to active induction of EAE in three of six rats. The immunoregulatory role of TCRP-specific T cells in resistance to EAE was investigated. In vitro, CD4+ T cell lines reactive with the V beta 8 TCRP did not respond to encephalitogenic V beta 8 TCR-bearing cell lines nor did they impair their MBP-induced activation. In vivo, activated TCRP-specific line cells did not ameliorate actively induced EAE. The beneficial effect of V beta 8 TCRP-vaccination on the course of EAE may be due to the induction of protective antibodies. Neither before, nor during or after EAE did we observe a cellular response to the V beta 8 TCRP in lymph nodes or spleens of MBP-immunized animals. Moreover, we were not able to establish TCRP-specific T cell lines from EAE rats, but from all rats immunized with the TCRP. Our data do not support the assumption that V beta 8 TCRP-reactive CD4+ T cells are the population operative in resistance to EAE after recovery from disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Julius-Maximilians Universität Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Schluesener
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Toyka
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Hartung
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta