Abstract
The OX-40 protein was selectively upregulated on encephalitogenic myelin basic protein (MBP)-specific T cells at the site of inflammation during the onset of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). An OX-40 immunotoxin was used to target and eliminate MBP-specific T cells within the central nervous system without affecting peripheral T cells. When injected in vivo, the OX-40 immunotoxin bound exclusively to myelin-reactive T cells isolated from the CNS, which resulted in amelioration of EAE. Expression of the human OX-40 antigen was also found in peripheral blood of patients with acute graft-versus-host disease and the synovia of patients with rheumatoid arthritis during active disease. The unique expression of the OX-40 molecule may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for eliminating autoreactive CD4+ T cells that does not require prior knowledge of the pathogenic autoantigen.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 183-189 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Nature medicine |
Volume | 2 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1996 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology