Chemokine expression in murine experimental allergic encephalomyelitis.

Chemokines are a family of low molecular mass proteins with chemotactic and cell activating activities. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Northern hybridization were used to examine their expression during murine experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), an autoimmune disease used as a model of multiple sclerosis. The mRNAs encoding RANTES, MIP-1 alpha, MIP-1 beta, TCA3 (I-309), IP-10, JE (MCP-1), KC (MGSA/gro), and MARC (MCP-3) were induced in the spinal cord 1-2 days before clinical signs were apparent. SDF, a cDNA predicted to encode a chemokine-like product, was expressed in normal as well as diseased spinal cords. No expression of C10 or MIP-2 was detected. Activated encephalitogenic T cells expressed message for RANTES, MIP-1 alpha, MIP-1 beta, and TCA3. These results define a subset of chemokines that may play an important role in the inflammatory process during murine EAE.