In vivo activation of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-specific T cells in healthy control subjects.

Autoreactive T cells are present in healthy subjects but are assumed not to induce overt disease due to lack of exposure to autoantigen or because of immune regulation. In EAE, activation of myelin protein-specific T cells is a crucial step in disease induction. In this study, we evaluated whether myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-reactive T cells had been activated in vivo using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from neurologically healthy subjects.