INTERPHOTORECEPTOR RETINOID-BINDING PROTEIN-DERIVED PEPTIDE CAN INDUCE EXPERIMENTAL AUTOIMMUNE UVEORETINITIS IN VARIOUS RAT STRAINS

Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) is an intraocular inflamma tory disease model induced by retinal specific antigens such as S-anti gen and interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP). The presen t study was aimed at testing the uveitogenicity of IRBP and an IRBP-de rived peptide in various strains of rats with different RT1 (major his tocompatibility complex in rats) haplotypes. Immunization with IRBP in duced distinct EAU in LEW (RT1(l)), WKAH (RT1(k)), W/M (RT1(k)), LEJ ( RT1(j)), and BUF (RT1(b)) rats. IRBP also induced a low grade of EAU i n SDJ (RT1(u)), but no disease was detected in TO rats, another strain of the RT1(u) haplotype. IRBP-derived peptide R16 (aa 1177-1191) indu ced severe EAU in LEW rats and moderate disease in the WKAH and W/M st rains. Immunization with R16 also induced low levels of inflammation i n eyes of 75% and 20% of LEJ and BUF rats, respectively, but this pept ide did not cause any disease in SDJ and TO rats. Injection of Bordete lla pertussis had minimum or no effect on the induction of EAU by pept ide R16 in this study. These data thus indicate that peptide R16 can b ind to various RT1 molecules in addition to RT1(l). Further, our obser vations support the notion that certain epitopes of IRBP could be uvei togenic in humans with different HLA haplotypes.