Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to B F Driscoll.
Incubation with specific antigen, myelin basic protein, greatly enhances the ability of guinea pig peritoneal exudate cells to transfer experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. Reproducibly successful transfers are obtained with 10(7) cells. With this relatively small number of cells, in vitro studies to determine the immunologic mechanisms involved in the disease process are now possible.
Spleen cells from myelin basic protein (BP)-sensitized donor rats appear to be incapable of adoptively transferring experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) directly to normal recipients. It has been reported that in vitro incubation with concanavalin A (Con A) activates rat spleen cells so that they are capable of transferring EAE. We report here that incubation with specific antigen, BP, also permits transfer of disease with spleen cells. Data are presented in which activation of EAE spleen cells by Con A is compared with activation by BP. Cellular proliferation does not appear to be necessary for in vitro activation with specific antigen.
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Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a cell-mediated autoimmune response directed toward a component of central nervous system (CNS) tissue, myelin basic protein (BP). Injection of animals with either whole CNS tissue or purified BP in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) induces severe and usually fatal disease. Preimmunization of animals with BP in incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) prevents EAE. We have examined the relative abilities of whole guinea pig BP and its fragments to protect guinea pigs from subsequent EAE induction. The data suggest that the presence of the intact encephalitogenic site (residues 113-121) in the molecules used for preimmunization is necessary but may not be sufficient for complete protection against EAE induction.
After onset of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), guinea pigs can be effectively treated by injection with myelin basic protein (BP). In order to localize the site of action of BP, cells from sensitized donors treated with BP one, two, three, or four times after disease onset have been transferred to normal recipients. One injection of BP has no effect on ability of cells to transfer EAE. Two injections partially inhibit transfer. After the third and fourth injections the sensitized cells lose their capacity to transfer EAE. The therapeutic effect of BP previously demonstrated in actively sensitized guinea pigs must involve the specifically sensitized cells rather than the target organ.
The resistance of Strain 2 guinea pigs to experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced by inoculation with whole CNS tissue in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) has been confirmed. The resistance is even more pronounced when myelin basic protein (BP) is used in attempts to induce EAE. Strain 2 guinea pigs are also resistant to an immunization schedule (multiple injections with BP in IFA followed by a single injection of BP in CFA) known to induce significant levels of antibody in susceptible strains. The poor response of Strain 2 guinea pigs to BP is not the result of lack of specific B cells--antibody equivalent to that produced by Strain 13 animals is obtained when the inoculum contains 0.5 mg BP and 2.5 mycobacteria.