Relapsing experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in radiation bone marrow chimeras between high and low susceptible strains of mice

The relapsing form of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) has been shown to be a useful model of the human disease, multiple sclerosis. This autoimmune disease is organ specific and appears to be primarily a cell-mediated disorder similar to the acute form of EAE. In order to understand better the regulatory mechanisms responsible for development of disease, radiation bone marrow chimeras were prepared between the highly susceptible SJL/J mouse and the resistant B10.S mouse. A high incidence of disease was seen in SJL→SJL and B10.S→SJL chimeras. A low incidence was seen in B10.S→B10.S and SJL→B10.S chimeras. The results were similar in mice immunized with CNS antigen of either BALB/c or B10.S origin. These results demonstrate that the immune system from the resistant B10.S mouse is capable of mediating relapsing EAE when present in a susceptible SJL host, while the SJL immune system was restricted in its ability to induce disease when present in a resistant B10.S host. This would indicate that restriction to the development of EAE may reside outside of the immune system, perhaps involving antigen recognition or presentation in the CNS itself.