title: Identification of the encephalitogenic epitopes of CNS proteolipid protein in BALB/c mice.
abstract: It was previously shown that BALB/c mice were susceptible to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis induced by immunization with proteolipid protein (PLP). To determine the encephalitogenic epitopes of PLP in BALB/c mice, mice were immunized with successively smaller pools of 20-mer peptides spanning the PLP molecule from amino acid 30 to amino acid 206. Immunization with PLP(180-199) resulted in clinical EAE in 9/15 mice (mean max clinical score of 3.3), and immunization with PLP(185-206) induced clinical EAE in 7/21 BALB/c mice (mean maximum score of 3.7). No relapses in disease were observed. No EAE was observed in BALB/c mice immunized with PLP(185-199) (n=15), PLP(178-191) (n=13) or other regions of PLP (n=15). Passive transfer of PLP(180-199)-primed lymph node cells into nai;ve BALB/c mice resulted in EAE (2/2 mice, max score of 4.0). One-micron toluidine blue stained sections from the spinal cord of EAE-affected BALB/c mice revealed features typical of EAE in other strains, including mononuclear cell infiltration, myelin loss, and axonal loss.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. lyons@neuro.wustl.edu
authors.forename: Jeri Anne
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ramsbottom
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Trotter
authors.forename: Anne H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Cross
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000276:immunology; D009187:Myelitis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D011510:Proteolipids / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D000939:Epitopes; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D011510:Proteolipids