title: Myelin antigen load influences antigen presentation and severity of central nervous system autoimmunity.
abstract: This study was designed to understand the impact of self-antigen load on manifestation of organ specific autoimmunity. Using a transgenic mouse model characterized by CNS hypermyelination, we show that larger myelin content results in greater severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis attributable to an increased number of microglia within the hypermyelinated brain. We conclude that a larger self-antigen load affects an increase in number of tissue resident antigen presenting cells (APCs) most likely due to compensatory antigen clearance mechanisms thereby enhancing the probability of productive T cell-APC interactions in an antigen abundant environment and results in enhanced severity of autoimmune disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. jainir@ccf.org
authors.forename: Ritika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jaini
authors.forename: Daniela C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Popescu
authors.forename: Chris A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Flask
authors.forename: Wendy B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Macklin
authors.forename: Vincent K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Tuohy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D017628:Microglia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D015213:Neuroimmunomodulation / Q000276:immunology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D001324:Autoantigens