Gender differences in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis develop during the induction of the immune response to encephalitogenic peptides.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) strikes women more often than men. Gender differences in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) parallel those seen in MS. We utilized the adoptive transfer model of EAE to determine the role of gender on the induction and effector phases of disease. PLP 139-151-sensitized spleen cells from female SJL mice were more effective at transferring disease than male cells. However, there were no gender differences in the frequency of PLP 139-151-specific T cells. PLP 139-151-specific female T cell lines induced more severe disease than male T cell lines. Disease severity was more strongly linked to the sex of the donor T cells, indicating that gender influences the immune response primarily during the induction phase.