A fusion protein consisting of IL-16 and the encephalitogenic peptide of myelin basic protein constitutes an antigen-specific tolerogenic vaccine that inhibits experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Tolerogenic Vaccine That Inhibits Protein Constitutes an Antigen-Specific Encephalitogenic Peptide of Myelin Basic A Fusion Protein Consisting of IL-16 and the

IL-2/neuroantigen fusion proteins as antigen-specific tolerogens in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE): correlation of T cell-mediated antigen presentation and tolerance induction.

The purpose of this study was to assess whether the Ag-targeting activity of cytokine/neuroantigen (NAg) fusion proteins may be associated with mechanisms of tolerance induction. To assess this question, we expressed fusion proteins comprised of a N-terminal cytokine domain and a C-terminal NAg domain. The cytokine domain comprised either rat IL-2 or IL-4, and the NAg domain comprised the domin...

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in Lewis rats: IFN-beta acts as a tolerogenic adjuvant for induction of neuroantigen-dependent tolerance.

Cytokine-Ag fusion proteins represent a novel approach for induction of Ag-specific tolerance and may constitute an efficient therapy for autoimmune disease. This study addressed whether a fusion protein containing rat IFN-beta and the encephalitogenic 73-87 determinant of myelin basic protein (i.e., the neuroantigen, or NAg) could prevent or treat experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE...

Antigen-specific therapy of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis by soluble class II major histocompatibility complex-peptide complexes.

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis is a T-cell-mediated, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II gene-linked autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. To develop therapies that will specifically inactivate only the autoantigen-reactive T cells, mice were treated with soluble MHC class II molecules that had been complexed with encephalitogenic peptides. Intrave...

ISOLATION OF MYELIN BASIC PROTEIN AND DETECTION OF I TS IMMUNOL\'OGICAL PROPERTIES

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system of presumed autoimmune etiology. One of the best animal models of demyelinating diseases is experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), which can be induced in a variety of animals by injection of a target antigen such as myelin basic protein (MBP). The immune responses against the target amino acids caus...