INDUCTION OF EXPERIMENTAL AUTOIMMUNE ANTERIOR UVEITIS BY A SELF-ANTIGEN - MELANIN COMPLEX WITHOUT ADJUVANT

Purpose. Experimental autoimmune anterior uveitis (EAAU) is an organ-s pecific autoimmune disease induced by immunization with bovine melanin -associated antigen (MAA) and two adjuvants (complete Freund's adjuvan t and purified pertussis toxin). This study tvas undertaken to explore whether an adjuvant is required in the induction of EEAU. Methods. In soluble MAA was extracted from the bovine iris and ciliary body. Solub le bovine MAA was derived by treatment of insoluble MAA with the prote olytic enzyme, V8 protease. Lewis rats were immunized with the insolub le or soluble antigen, with or without adjuvant (complete Freund's adj uvant and purified pertussis toxin). Adoptive transfer of CD4+ and CD8 + T cells was performed to investigate the pathogenesis of EAAU. Resul ts. Experimental autoimmune anterior uveitis can be induced in Lewis r ats by immunization with 100 mu g insoluble bovine MAA alone without t he use of adjuvants. The disease can be adoptively transferred to naiv e syngenic rats by primed CD4+ T cells. In contrast, soluble bovine MA A was not uveitogenic unless adjuvants were employed. Conclusions. The data suggest that EAAU can be induced in the Lewis rat without additi on of an adjuvant. Future studies concerning the pathogenesis of EAAU can now be performed without the possible confounding effect of an adj uvant.