Abstract
It has been reported recently that the bacterial respiratory pathogen Chlamydia pneumoniae is present in the cerebrospinal fluid of a subset of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. However, it is not known whether this organism is a causative agent of MS, or merely an opportunistic pathogen that takes advantage of a disease process initiated by some other means. We report identification of a 20-mer peptide from a protein specific to C. pneumoniae which shares a 7-aa motif with a critical epitope of myelin basic protein, a major CNS Ag targeted by the autoimmune response in MS. This bacterial peptide induces a Th1 response accompanied by severe clinical and histological experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in Lewis rats, a condition closely reflective of many aspects of MS. Studies with peptide analogues suggest that different populations of encephalitogenic T cells are activated by the C. pneumoniae and myelin basic protein Ags. Mild experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis was also observed when rats were immunized with sonicated C. pneumoniae in CFA.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Amino Acid Substitution / genetics
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Amino Acid Substitution / immunology
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Animals
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Bacterial Proteins / administration & dosage*
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Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
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Bacterial Proteins / genetics
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Bacterial Proteins / immunology*
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Cells, Cultured
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Chlamydophila pneumoniae / genetics
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Chlamydophila pneumoniae / immunology*
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Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / immunology*
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Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / microbiology
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Female
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Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
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Guinea Pigs
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Injections, Subcutaneous
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Myelin Basic Protein / chemistry
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Myelin Basic Protein / immunology
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Peptide Fragments / chemistry
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Peptide Fragments / immunology
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Protein Isoforms / administration & dosage
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Protein Isoforms / genetics
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Protein Isoforms / immunology
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Rats
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Rats, Inbred Lew
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Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
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T-Lymphocytes / immunology
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T-Lymphocytes / microbiology
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Tumor Cells, Cultured / immunology
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Tumor Cells, Cultured / microbiology
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Tumor Cells, Cultured / transplantation
Substances
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Bacterial Proteins
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Myelin Basic Protein
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Peptide Fragments
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Protein Isoforms
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myelin basic protein 68-86