Association between susceptibility to experimental allergic encephalomyelitis and the major histocompatibility system...

The genetics of the inducibility of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) was studied in ten inbred rat strains by injection of guinea pig spinal cord in complete Freund's adjuvant. LEW rats were highly susceptible and AS2, AVN, BDV and BN rats were poorly susceptible. Congenic strains which carried the major histocompatibility haplotype of the poorly susceptible strains on the genetic background of the susceptible LEW strain were only moderately susceptible. It is concluded that major histocompatibility-linked genes exert a strong influence on the susceptibility to EAE, but that genetic background genes are also involved.