Adoptive transfer of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis and localization of the encephalitogenic epitope in the SWR mouse

Adoptively-transferred experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) was induced in the SWR (H-2^q) strain of mouse using lymph node cells, spleen cells, or cell lines sensitized to whole myelin basic protein (MBP). With the aid of synthetic peptides, the minimal encephalitogenic epitope of MBP for the SWR strain was localized to amino acids 87-99 of the MBP molecule. The 87-99 sequence is also encephalitogenic for the SJL strain of mouse and the Lewis rat. EAE was induced with a protocol similar to that for the induction of EAE in the SJL strain with the exception that sublethal irradiation of recipients was necessary. Mice developed typical clinical and pathological EAE 6-14 days post-transfer of cells sensitized to either whole MBP or peptide 87-99, after which they remitted. No relapses were observed. Thus, adoptively transferred EAE can be induced in irradiated H-2^q mice for which the encephalitogenic epitope is one of the nested encephalitogenic epitopes for SJL (H-2^s) mice, namely residues 87-99.