Inheritance of susceptibility to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis is a disease of the central nervous system that can be readily induced in a variety of species by immunization with myelin proteins. It is one of the most commonly studied models of cell-mediated autoimmune disease and consequently has been important in the elucidation of many immunological functions in vivo. Nevertheless, very little is understood about the genetic and environmental factors that control the disease. Several groups have begun undertaking systematic genetic analyses in mice to identify loci that associate with increased susceptibility to disease. In this review, we will summarize the work that has been done to understand the genetic predisposition that makes certain inbred animals susceptible to disease and others resistant, and we will discuss some of the difficulties in the genetic analysis that have arisen due to the complexities of this disease model.