Frequency of T cells specific for myelin basic protein and myelin proteolipid protein in blood and cerebrospinal fluid in multiple sclerosis

Yuan K. Chou, Dennis N. Bourdette, Halina Offner, Ruth Whitham, Run Ying Wang, George A. Hashim, Arthur A. Vandenbark

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

178 Scopus citations

Abstract

T cell sensitization to two myelin components, myelin basic protein (MBP) and myelin proteolipid protein (PLP), may be important to the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Using the limiting dilution assay, we demonstrated that the blood of MS patients had an increased frequency of MBP-reactive T cells compared with normal subjects and patients with other neurological diseases (OND) and rheumatoid arthritis. There was no difference in T cell frequency to a synthetic peptide, PLP139-151, or Herpes simplex virus. Within cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), 37% of IL-2/IL-4-reactive T cell isolates from MS patients responded either to MBP or PLP139-151 while only 5% of similar isolates from OND patients responded to these myelin antigens. The mean relative frequency of MBP-reactive T cells within CSF from MS patients was significantly higher than that of OND patients (22 × 10-5 cell versus 1 × 10-5 cells) and was similar to that of MBP reactive T cells within the central nervous system of rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. These results lend new support to the hypothesis that myelin-reactive T cells mediate disease in MS.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)105-113
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Neuroimmunology
Volume38
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1992

Keywords

  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Myelin basic protein
  • Myelin proteolipid protein
  • T cell frequency

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology
  • Neurology
  • Clinical Neurology

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