Hierarchy in the ability of T cell epitopes to induce peripheral tolerance to antigens from myelin

Nasal administration of peptide antigens has been shown to induce T cell tolerance. We have investigated the potential for peptide therapy of the autoimmune response to myelin antigens in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Three major encephalitogenic epitopes were studied for their ability to induce nasal tolerance to myelin antigens. These included epitopes Ac1 – 9 and 89 – 101 of myelin basic protein (MBP) and 139 – 151 from proteolipid protein (PLP). Peptide Ac1 – 9 from MBP effectively suppressed responses to both MBP epitopes, following immunization with whole myelin (linked suppression). The N-terminal epitope failed, however, to modify the response to epitope 139 – 151 of PLP. The second MBP epitope (89 – 101) was poorly tolerogenic for the immune response to any naturally processed myelin epitope. By contrast, PLP[139 – 151] was able to induce bystander suppression of T cells responsive to both itself and the two epitopes from MBP. Furthermore, this epitope suppressed EAE induced with peptides derived from MBP and was capable of treating ongoing disease. The mechanism of bystander suppression, mediated by PLP[139 – 151], did not correlate with an overt switch from the T helper 1 to the T helper 2 phenotype. These results demonstrate how a complex autoimmune disease may be controlled by treatment with a single peptide epitope and reveal a hierarchy in the suppressive properties of different myelin antigens.