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Expression of ocular autoantigens in the mouse thymus
P Charukamnoetkanok1, A Fukushima, S M Whitcup
1Laboratory of Immunology, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1857, USA.
Current Eye Research
|September 2, 1998
Summary
Ocular antigens, previously thought sequestered, are actually found in the thymus. This discovery challenges existing models of eye autoimmunity and immune tolerance induction.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Ophthalmology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Autoimmune eye diseases are often linked to ocular antigens being hidden from the immune system.
- This sequestration is believed to prevent the immune system from developing tolerance to eye-specific proteins.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether transcripts of ocular antigens are present in the thymus.
- To test the hypothesis that ocular antigens are sequestered from the immune system.
Main Methods:
- RNA isolation from mouse eyes and thymi.
- Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to analyze gene expression.
- Southern blot and DNA sequencing for transcript verification.
Main Results:
- Gene transcripts for S-Antigen (S-Ag), interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein, opsin, recoverin, lens major intrinsic protein (MIP), and crystallins were detected in mouse thymi.
- DNA sequencing confirmed the identity of thymic MIP and S-Ag transcripts as ocular proteins.
Conclusions:
- Several ocular-specific proteins are expressed in the thymus.
- The prevailing notion of ocular antigen sequestration should be re-evaluated.