Inhibition of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by a nonimmunogenic non-self peptide that binds to I-A

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an inflammatory neurologic disease initiated by myelin basic protein-reactive CD4⁺ T cells, which are restricted by a particular MHC class II molecule. Recent studies have utilized inhibitor peptides that bind to restricting MHC class II molecules in order to inhibit EAE, presumably by means of competing with encephalitogenic epitopes. However, these studies leave open the possibility of alternative explanations, such as Ag-specific nonresponsiveness and immunodominance. In order to demonstrate that competition for MHC binding alone can inhibit EAE, the inhibitor peptide should ideally be structurally unrelated and nonimmunogenic yet physically associate with the MHC class II molecule. In this study, we show that the OVA-323-339 peptide, which is unrelated to the disease-inducing peptide, binds to Aα^uAβ^u. However, although OVA-323-339 is extremely immunogenic in Aα^dAβ^d-expressing BALB/c mice, it is nonimmunogenic in (PL/J × SJL)F₁ and PL/J mice expressing Aα^uAβ^u. When administered as a coimmunogen with Ac1-11, OVA-323-339 inhibited induction of EAE in (PL/ J × SJL)F₁ mice. Myelin basic protein-89-101, which does not bind Aα^uAβ^u, had no effect on the disease process. This study provides evidence that MHC class II binding alone can modulate the induction of EAE. The use of a nonimmunogenic non-self peptide to modulate an autoimmune disease minimizes the potential complications of immunodominance or alternative regulatory mechanisms associated with immunogenic peptide therapies and further confirms the MHC-blocking model of immunosuppression.