T cells specific for the myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein mediate an unusual autoimmune inflammatory response in the central nervous system

Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)‐specific T cells mediate an autoimmune inflammatory response in the central nervous system (CNS) that differs radically from conventional models of T cell‐mediated experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). Using synthetic peptides an encephalitogenic T cell epitope of MOG for the Lewis rat was identified within the extracellular IgG V‐like domain of the protein, amino acids 44‐53 (FSRVVHLYRN).The adoptive transfer of CD4+ T cells specific for this epitope induce an intense, dose‐dependent inflammatory response in the CNS of naive syngeneic recipients. However, unlike the inflammatory response induced by myelin basic protein (MBP)‐specific T cell lines, inflammation mediated by the MOG peptide‐specific T cells failed to induce a gross neurological deficit.