Protection from autoimmunity by DNA vaccination against T-cell receptor

T-lymphocytes are essential participants of adaptive immunity, essential for cellular and humoral recognition of foreign antigens. In pathogenic situations T cells may, however, also recognize self-antigens, causing detrimental autoimmune responses that ultimately lead to autoimmune disease. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a murine model for the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, in which T cells invade the central nervous system and destroy the myelin sheath around neuronal axon fibers. In some EAE systems, the sequence of the alpha- or beta-chains of the pathogenic T-cell receptor is known and makes it possible to induce an immune response that eliminates these self-specific T cells. Herein we describe a method, using DNA vaccination that allows induction of such an immune response to protect mice from the development of EAE.