Peripheral clonal deletion of MBP-specific T cells by intravenous au-toantigen: rapid reversal of ongoing, progressive experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

摘要

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis can be initiated spontaneously and developed progressively in TCR transgenic mice specific for myelin basic protein when exposed to non-sterile environment, thus more closely mimicking human multiple sclerosis. By intravenous administration of myelin basic protein, we succeeded in rapidly reversing the clinical and pathological signs of progressive spontaneous disease in these mice. The majority of transgenic T cells of MBP-injected mice was deleted, with dramatically increased numbers of apoptotic cells, in lymph nodes and spleen, but not in thymus. Proliferative responses of