Presentation of myelin basic protein by murine cerebral vascular endothelial cells.

Guinea pig basic protein (GPBP)-sensitized murine lymph node cell cultures depleted of macrophages-monocytes (MO) are no longer able to proliferate in response to specific antigen in vitro. The addition of MO reconstitutes the response that can be blocked by the addition of syngeneic anti-I-A antisera. Freshly isolated murine central nervous system endothelial cells (CNS-EC) cannot replace MO for the presentation of GPBP antigen to specifically sensitized lymph node lymphocytes. The pretreatment of CNS-EC with concanavalin A-conditioned media resulted in the expression of Ia molecules and the consequent ability to present GPBP. Antigen presentation by CNS-EC could be blocked by anti-I-A antisera for the CNS-EC donor haplotype.