Autoimmune effector cells. VII. Cells isolated from thymus and spinal cord of rats with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis transfer disease.

Effector cells mediating experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) were recovered from the thymus glands and spinal cords of Lewis rats immunized with myelin basic protein (BP) and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), as demonstrated by adoptive transfer to syngeneic recipients following in vitro activation with BP. The thymic effector cells (TCs) were lymphoblasts. Sequential transfer studies suggested that the effector TCs probably recirculated back to the thymus from the periphery. The transfer of EAE with cells derived from the spinal cords of paralyzed donors indicates that disease-inducing effector cells are present in the target organ.