Vaccination against autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE): attenuated autoimmune T lymphocytes confer resistance to induction of active EAE but not to EAE mediated by the intact T lymphocyte line.

Autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) can be induced in genetically susceptible rats by active immunization against myelin basic protein (BP) or by passive transfer or anti-BP lymphocytes. We have developed in vitro lines of T lymphocytes reactive only against BP that produce EAE upon i.v. inoculation of syngeneic rats. The object of the present study was to learn whether attenuated anti-BP line cells could be used to vaccinate rats against passive as well as active EAE. We inoculated rats i.v. with anti-BP line cells that were attenuated by irradiation or treatment by mitomycin C. A single inoculation was sufficient to protect about 70% of rats from subsequent EAE induced actively. However, even repeated vaccination could not protect against EAE mediated by passive transfer of anti-BP line cells. Thus, attenuated cells of EAE effector lines cannot vaccinate the autoreactive effects of preformed effector T lymphocytes.