Regulation of experimental autoimmune uveitis in rats--separation of MHC and non-MHC gene effects

Experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease and has served as a model of certain ocular inflammatory conditions in man. The present study was aimed at separating the effects of MHC and non-MHC genes on the development of EAU in the rat. EAU-susceptible LEW (RT1l), EAU-resistant WKAH (RT1k), and WKAH.1L (RT1l) MHC congenic strain of WKAH background rats were immunized with retinal soluble antigen (S-Ag) in Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA). LEW rats showed typical EAU, while neither WKAH nor WKAH.1L congenic rats developed EAU. However, when an additional i.v. injection of Bordetella pertussis was given, all rat strains developed EAU. Furthermore, when immunized with peptide M, an 18-mer synthetic peptide, which corresponds to amino acid positions 303-320 of bovine S-Ag, and given an additional i.v. injection of B. pertussis, LEW and WKAH.1L rats developed EAU, whereas WKAH did not. When ACI (RT1avl), BUF (RT1b), LEJ (RT1j), W (RT1k), F344 (RT1lvl), BN (RT1n), NIG-III (RT1q), TO (RT1t), and SDJ (RT1u) rats were immunized with peptide M or S-Ag and then B. pertussis, all strains developed EAU by immunization with S-Ag plus B. pertussis, but only F344 and NIG-III developed EAU by immunization with peptide M. These findings suggest that susceptibility to EAU in rats is controlled by both MHC and non-MHC genes; and that in the absence of B. pertussis adjuvant, the form of disease induced by native S-Ag in FCA is governed by non-MHC gene(s). However, this effect of non-MHC gene(s) could no longer be observed when the rats were also injected with B. pertussis adjuvant at sensitization.