THE DEMYELINATING POTENTIAL OF ANTIBODIES TO MYELIN OLIGODENDROCYTE GLYCOPROTEIN IS RELATED TO THEIR ABILITY TO FIX COMPLEMENT

A panel of 13 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has been raised to the cent ral nervous system-specific glycoprotein, myelin oligodendrocyte glyco protein: five of these mAbs recognize a carbohydrate epitope on the mo lecule. Although all of the mAbs recognized surface epitopes on cultur ed oligodendrocytes and stained central nervous system tissue sections in a similar manner, marked differences were seen in their ability to induce demyelination in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in th e Lewis rat. This variation in pathogenic potential was not related to the specificity of a given mAb for carbohydrate or peptide epitopes o f myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein, but correlated with its ability to fix complement.