T-cells specific for soluble recombinant oligodendrocyte-specific protein induce severe clinical experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in H-2(b) and H-2(s) mice.

To investigate the immunogenicity and encephalitogenicity of oligodendrocyte-specific protein (OSP), recombinant soluble mouse OSP (smOSP) was produced from a synthetic gene engineered to lack the sequences coding for the hydrophobic transmembrane domains of the native molecule. SmOSP was immunogenic and encephalitogenic for SJL/J, C3H.SW and C57BL/6J mice, but not PL/J or BALB/c mice. SmOSP-specific T-cells from SJL/J, C3H.SW and C57BL/6J mice induced severe chronic clinical experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis upon transfer. These findings indicate that autoimmune T-cell responses to OSP should be investigated in the context of multiple sclerosis.