[Peripheral nerve myelin antigen-specific T cells in human]

In recent years, anti-myelin glycolipid antibodies have been reported to be specific for acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuritis (AIDP) so the involvement of autoimmune mechanism by such autoantibodies was strongly suggested as a cause of AIDP. However, the cellular immunity of AIDP has been seldom reported yet. To examine the T cell response to peripheral nerve antigens in human, we tried to establish T cell lines reactive to peripheral myelin antigens. P0 56-71, P0 180-199 and P2 59-78 peptides from human peripheral blood of controls and patients with inflammatory demyelinating polyneuritis. Frequencies of T cells reactive with P0 56-71, P0 180-199 and P2 59-78 peptides in five controls were (0.59 +/- 0.81) x 10(-7), (1.53 +/- 0.53) x 10(-7) and (0.11 +/- 0.24) x 10(-7), respectively. Frequency of P0 180-199-reactive T cells in one AIDP patient of acute stage was 3.5 x 10(-7) and approximately 2 times high value of controls. There is no significant association between their frequency and specific MHC class II genotypes in subjects until now. Thus, peripheral myelin antigen-specific T cell lines in particular recognizing P0 180-199 were established from the majority of controls and polyneuritis patients. These results suggest that the residues of P0 180-199 might be one of T cell epitopes also in human subjects.