Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mediated by T lymphocyte lines: genotype of antigen-presenting cells influences immunodominant epitope of basic protein

• Published in: The Journal of immunology (1950) Vol. 136; no. 2; pp. 511 - 515
• Main Authors: Beraud, E, Reshef, T, Vandenbark, AA, Offner, H, Friz, R, Chou, CH, Bernard, D, Cohen, IR
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Am Assoc Immnol 1986; American Association of Immunologists
• Subjects: Animals; Antigen-Presenting Cells - classification; Antigen-Presenting Cells - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Line; Crosses, Genetic; Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental - genetics; Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental - immunology; Epitopes - genetics; Epitopes - immunology; Genotype; Haploidy; Lymphocyte Activation; Medical sciences; Myelin Basic Protein - immunology; Nervous system involvement in other diseases. Miscellaneous; Neurology; Peptide Fragments - immunology; Rats; Rats, Inbred BN; Rats, Inbred Lew; Species Specificity; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Immunopathology; Antigen presentation; Nervous system diseases; Antigenic determinant; Encephalomyelitis; Rat; Myelin; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Genotype; Autoimmune disease; Immunodominance; Cell recognition; Vertebrata; Experimental disease; Mammalia; Cell line; Basic protein; T-Lymphocyte
• ISSN: 0022-1767; 1550-6606
• DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.136.2.511

Lewis rats are susceptible to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), and their T lymphocytes recognize epitopes in the 68-88 sequence of guinea pig myelin basic protein (BP). BN rats are resistant to EAE, and their T lymphocytes recognize epitopes outside of the 68-88 sequence, probably in the 43-67 portion of BP. To investigate the influence of the genome of antigen-presenting cells (APC) on the dominance of BP epitopes for T lymphocyte lines, we selected anti-BP lines from (Lewis X BN)F1 rats by using the APC of Lewis, BN, or F1 origin. We now report that the F1/Lewis and F1/F1 lines recognized the 68-88 epitopes and were highly encephalitogenic in F1 rats, whereas the F1/BN line recognized the 43-67 epitopes and was only weakly encephalitogenic. Thus, the genotype of the APC can influence the immunologic dominance for T lymphocytes of BP epitopes, and this dominance in turn can influence the expression of disease.