Induction of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Severe Combined Immunodeficient Mice Reconstituted with Allogeneic or Xenogeneic Hematopoietic Cells

Severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) C.B-17-scid/scid (H-2^d) strain mice are deficient for T and B lymphocytes and lack all of the immune functions associated with these cell types. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) was induced in chimeric SCID mice that had been previously reconstituted with allogeneic mouse or xenogeneic rat hematopoietic stem cells from EAE-susceptible donor strains. Encephalitogenic, myelin Ag-specific, T lymphocytes selected from SJL mice, Lewis rats, or Buffalo rats transferred passive EAE into chimeric SCID mice reconstituted with SJL mouse, Lewis rat, or Buffalo rat hematopoietic cells, respectively. SCID mice reconstituted with Lewis rat hematopoietic tissue and thymus were also susceptible to EAE induced by active immunization with the myelin proteolipid protein synthetic peptide PLP S139-151. T lymphocytes recovered from the spleens of SCID mouse-rat chimeras with EAE proliferated upon in vitro stimulation with myelin Ag presented by APC syngeneic to the transplant donor, and rat T lymphocytes selected in vitro from SCID mouse-rat chimeras with EAE transferred EAE back into naive recipient rats. Thus, the immunodeficiency present in SCID mice can be overcome at least partially by hematopoietic tissue transplantation from allogeneic or xenogeneic donors. Furthermore, allogeneic SJL mouse and xenogeneic Lewis or Buffalo rat myelin Ag-specific T cells can transfer EAE between strains and species, respectively, into recipient SCID mouse chimeras.