Humoral response against myelin antigens in two straina of rats with different susceptibility to experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE)

VIRGINIA E. RIVERO; CLELIA M. RIERA; GERMAN A. ROTH

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Año: 1999 vol. 29 p. 129 - 129

ewis (Lw) rats are susceptible and Wistar (Wr) rats are usually resistant to the induction of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). In this study we analyze the humoral response to myelin antigens, providing evidence for different B cell response to myelin basicprotein (MBP) and other myelin proteins between these two strains of rats with different susceptibility to EAE. In fact, IgC anti-MBP titers in Wr rats were markedly higher than in Lw ones. Moreover, an inverse relationship between the amount of antigen injected to induced EAE and the level of anti-MBP antibodies was observed in Wr rats, while IgC anti-MBP varied in a positive dose-depending manner in sera from Lw rats. Also, sera from Wr rats analyzed by immunoblotting showed a strong reactivity with MBP and other myelin proteins, but sera from Lw rats reacted only with MBP. Evaluation of IgA and IgM against MBP in Wr rats showed again higher titers of these isotypes when compared with the titers observed in Lw rats.