Autoantigen in multiple sclerosis

Bernar d CC, de Rosbo NK (1991) Immurropatliological recognition of autoantigens in multiple sclerosis. Acta Neiu ol (Napoli) 13 171-178. 

Figure 11.7. Actipat -generated prediction profile for DRBl 1501-binding peptides from the human myelin basic protein (MBP), the major autoantigen in multiple sclerosis.

G.S. Glements, et al., (2003). The crystal stmc-ture of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein, a key autoantigen in multiple sclerosis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100, 11059-11064. 

Bruno R, Sabater L, Sospedra M, Ferrer-Francesch X, Escudero D, Martinez-Caceres E, Pujol-Borrell R (2002) Multiple sclerosis candidate autoantigens except myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein are transcribed in human thymus. Eur J Immunol 32 2737-2747. 

Since autoantibodies are detectable in healthy subjects it is not possible to say whether or not their increased detection in CNS degenerative and inflammatory disease is a result of a new primary response or the stimulation of preexisting B-cell clones by the macrophage transfer of antigen from the brain. In a chronic inflammatory disease with a suspected autoimmune aetiology such as multiple sclerosis there has been a failure to identify a primary pathogenic autoantigen, but many... 

There has been considerable interest in the role of Epstein-Barr virus in the etiology of several autoimmune diseases, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis. Epstein-Barr virus is a common infection. Most people (90% or more) are infected, without symptoms or with only mild, nonspecific symptoms, during childhood. When people are exposed as teenagers or as adults, however, infection may result in mononucleosis. Of importance with respect to autoimmune diseases, Epstein-Barr virus infects B cells and results in a latent infection. A close similarity between a peptide sequence in the Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen-1 and a sequence in the Sm autoantigen, one of the autoantibodies seen in systemic lupus erythematosus, has been reported (Sabbatini et al., 1993). In addition, several epidemiological studies have demonstrated strong associations between exposure to Epstein-Barr virus, as demonstrated by virus-specific IgG or IgA antibodies, and risk of systemic lupus erythematosus in children (James et al., 1997) and adults (James et al., 2001 Parks et al., 2005). 

In induced models, a susceptible animal strain is immunized with a mixture of an adjuvant and an autoantigen isolated from the target organ. Examples are adjuvant arthritis in the Lewis strain rat (Pearson, 1956) and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, a model of multiple sclerosis (Ben-Nun Cohen, 1982). Induced models are often used to study the pathogenesis of and therapeutic venues for relevant autoimmune diseases. These models have been proposed as means to evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of chemicals on ongoing autoimmune diseases in a second tier of immunotoxicity testing. 

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