Treatment with intact anti-B7-1 mAb during disease remission enhances epitope spreading and exacerbates relapses in R-EAE

PLP139–151-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in the SJL mouse is a Th1-mediated inflammatory demyelinating disease characterized by a relapsing–remitting clinical course (R-EAE). Clinical relapses are mediated by T cells specific for a non-cross reactive secondary PLP epitope (PLP178–191) induced by epitope spreading. We have previously shown that B7-1 expression is upregulated in SJL mice undergoing R-EAE and in vivo treatment during remission with F(ab) fragments of anti-B7-1 mAb, blocked epitope spreading and disease progression. In contrast, the present study shows that treatment with intact anti-B7-1 mAb exacerbated clinical disease relapses and enhanced CNS demyelination. Anti-B7-1-treated mice showed enhanced in vivo delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) to the relapse-associated PLP178–191 epitope and responses to the immunodominant MBP84–104 epitope which are absent in the controls. Thus, ligation of B7-1 by intact mAbs has effects opposite to those of anti-B7-1 F(ab) fragments suggesting that the mAb is directly signaling through B7-1 expressed on T cells and/or APCs.