Critical roles of CXC chemokine ligand 16/scavenger receptor that binds phosphatidylserine and oxidized lipoprotein in the pathogenesis of both acute and adoptive transfer experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

The scavenger receptor that binds phosphatidylserine and oxidized lipoprotein (SR-PSOX)/CXCL16 is a chemokine expressed on macrophages and dendritic cells, while its receptor expresses on T and NK T cells. We investigated the role of SR-PSOX/CXCL16 on acute and adoptive experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), which is Th1-polarized T cell-mediated autoimmune disease of the CNS. Administration of mAb against SR-PSOX/CXCL16 around the primary immunization decreased disease incidence of acute EAE with associated reduced infiltration of mononuclear cells into the CNS. Its administration was also shown to inhibit elevation of serum IFN-gamma level at primary immune response, as well as subsequent generation of Ag-specific T cells. In adoptive transfer EAE, treatment of recipient mice with anti-SR-PSOX/CXCL16 mAb also induced not only decreased clinical disease incidence, but also diminished traffic of mononuclear cells into the CNS. In addition, histopathological analyses showed that clinical development of EAE correlates well with expression of SR-PSOX/CXCL16 in the CNS. All the results show that SR-PSOX/CXCL16 plays important roles in EAE by supporting generation of Ag-specific T cells, as well as recruitment of inflammatory mononuclear cells into the CNS.