title: T-cell response to myelin basic protein and lipid-bound myelin basic protein in patients with multiple sclerosis and healthy donors.
abstract: An autoimmune T-cell response to myelin proteins is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and myelin basic protein (MBP) is the most widely studied potential target antigen. We investigated the T-cell response to MBP in MS patients and controls using two different molecular forms of the protein: the classical hydrophilic MBP (lipid-free MBP, LF-MBP) and a lipid-bound, native-like preparation of MBP isolated in a molecular form retaining the binding to all myelin lipids (lipid-bound-MBP, LB-MBP). Short term T-cell lines (TCL) were generated using either LF- or LB-MBP and tested for their reactivity to the in vitro stimulating antigen. No differences were detected between MS patients and healthy donors in the percentage of T-cell cultures responsive to the LF-MBP. In contrast, the number of LB-MBP reactive cultures was higher in MS patients than in controls. This difference was almost entirely due to the presence of high numbers of LB-MBP-specific TCL in MS patients which did not cross-react with LF-MBP and were not present in healthy subjects. LB-MBP may represent a novel antigen worth to be investigated in MS.
authors.affiliation: Neuroimmuology Branch, Room 5B16, Building 10, NINDS, NIH, 10 Center DR MSC 1400, Bethesda, MD 20892-1400, USA; Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 85, 50134 Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: Benedetta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mazzanti
authors.affiliation: Neuroimmuology Branch, Room 5B16, Building 10, NINDS, NIH, 10 Center DR MSC 1400, Bethesda, MD 20892-1400, USA; Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 85, 50134 Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vergelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology DBAF, University of Basilicata, Via Anzio 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, CSMME, C.N.R., Via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Riccio
authors.affiliation: Neuroimmuology Branch, Room 5B16, Building 10, NINDS, NIH, 10 Center DR MSC 1400, Bethesda, MD 20892-1400, USA.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Neuroimmuology Branch, Room 5B16, Building 10, NINDS, NIH, 10 Center DR MSC 1400, Bethesda, MD 20892-1400, USA.
authors.forename: Henry F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: McFarland
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, CSMME, C.N.R., Via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Grazia M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Liuzzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 85, 50134 Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Amaducci
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 85, 50134 Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Massacesi
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D003429:Cross Reactions; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008055:Lipids / Q000276:immunology; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology*; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein