Suppression of experimental myasthenia gravis by monoclonal antibodies against MHC peptide region involved in presentation of a pathogenic T-cell epitope

We have prepared monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against an antigen-binding re gion of I-A, region 63-76 of I-A beta(b), which is involved in the T-cell p articipation in the pathogenesis of EAMG. The mAbs reacted with its parent molecules and inhibited the proliferation of disease-related T-cells. Passi ve transfer of these mAbs suppressed the occurrence of clinical EAMG, which was accompanied by decreased T-cell and Ab responses to tAChR. The results indicated that blocking the function of disease-related MHC by targeting a disease-associated region on MHC molecules could be an effective, straight forward and feasible strategy for immunointervention in MG. (C) 2000 Elsevi er Science B.V. All rights reserved.