title: Systemic expression of rat soluble retinal antigen induces resistance to experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis.
abstract: To assess the role of sequestration in the maintenance of the immune privilege of the retina, retrovirally mediated gene transfer was used to express a defined, specific retinal autoantigen, rat soluble retinal Ag (S-Ag), in a systemic, nonsequestered manner. In this study we report the stable, long term transduction of rat retinal S-Ag into PBMC. Tolerance to S-Ag was assayed by challenging the S-Ag chimeric animals with S-Ag peptides in CFA and monitoring the time course and severity of experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU). The resulting data showed a correlation between the incidence of S-Ag chimerism and the loss of susceptibility to EAU. The development of resistance to EAU induction supports the hypothesis that Ag sequestration contributes to retinal immune privilege.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: McPherson
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Gregerson
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D019393:Arrestin / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects; D002417:Cattle; D002460:Cell Line; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011828:Radiation Chimera / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D011915:Rats, Inbred BUF; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D012173:Retinitis / Q000276:immunology*; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics; D012995:Solubility; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000276:immunology; D014161:Transduction, Genetic; D014605:Uveitis / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D019393:Arrestin; D001324:Autoantigens