AUTOIMMUNITY TO MYELIN OLIGODENDROCYTE GLYCOPROTEIN IN RATS MIMICS THE SPECTRUM OF MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS PATHOLOGY

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by perivenous inflammation and focal destruction of myelin, Many attempts have been undertaken previously to create animal models of chronic in flammatory demyelinating diseases through autoimmunity or virus infect ion. Recently, however, a new model of myelin oligodendrocyte glycopro tein (MOG) induced autoimmune encephalomyelitis became available, whic h, in a very standardized and predictable way, leads to chronic (relap sing or progressive) disease and widespread CNS demyelination. In the present study we actively induced MOG-experimental autoimmune encephal omyelitis (EAE) in different inbred rat strains using different immuni zation protocols, The pathology found in our models closely reflects t he spectrum of multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology: Classical MS as well as variants such as optic neuritis, Devic's disease and Marburg's typ e of acute MS are mimicked in rats immunized with MOG antigen. Further more we demonstrate, that by using the proper strain/sensitization reg ime, subforms of MS such as for instance neuromyelitis optica can be r eproducibly induced, Our study further supports the notion, that incid ence and expression of the disease in this model, alike the situation in multiple sclerosis, is determined by genetic and environmental fact ors.