Myelin proteolipid protein: minimum sequence requirements for active induction of autoimmune encephalomyelitis in SWR/J and SJL/J mice

• Published in: Journal of neuroimmunology Vol. 39; no. 1; pp. 67 - 74
• Main Authors: Tuohy, Vincent K., Sobel, Raymond A., Lu, Zhijian, Laursen, Richard A., Lees, Marjorie B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier B.V 01.07.1992; Amsterdam Elsevier; New York, NY
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Autoimmune Diseases - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Demyelination; Encephalitogenic; Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental - immunology; Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; Female; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Molecular Sequence Data; Multiple sclerosis; Myelin Proteins - genetics; Myelin Proteins - immunology; Myelin Proteolipid Protein; Nervous system involvement in other diseases. Miscellaneous; Neurology; T cell epitope; Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; Encephalitogenic; Multiple sclerosis; T cell epitope; Myelin proteolipid protein; Demyelination; Animal model; Nervous system diseases; Antigenic determinant; Encephalomyelitis; Peptides; Induction; Myelin; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Vertebrata; Experimental disease; Mammalia; Synthetic product; Mouse; T-Lymphocyte; Aminoacid sequence
• ISSN: 0165-5728; 1872-8421
• DOI: 10.1016/0165-5728(92)90175-K

Proteolipid protein (PLP) is the major protein constituent of mammalian central nervous system myelin. We have previously identified two different PLP encephalitogenic T cell epitopes in two mouse strains. Murine PLP peptides 103–116 YKTTICGKGLSATV and 139–151 HCLGKWLGHPDKF are encephalitogenic determinants in SWR/J (H-2 q) and SJL/J (H-2 s) mice, respectively. The purpose of the present study was to determine the minimum sequence requirements for each of these PLP encephalitogens. In SWR/J mice, at least two distinct overlapping peptides can induce experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The eleven residue sequences PLP 105–115 TTICGKGLSAT and PLP 106–116 TICGKGLSATV are encephalitogenic in SWR/J mice, but PLP 106–115 TICGKGLSAT, the decapeptide indigenous to both sequences, is non-encephalitogenic. In contrast, the shortes PLP sequence capable of inducing EAE in SJL/J mice is the nonapeptide 141–149 LGKWLGHPD. These data indicate that encephalitogenic determinants of PLP are short contiguous peptide sequences similar in length and diversity to those of MBP.