Gender differences in protection from EAE induced by oral tolerance with a peptide analogue of MBP-Ac1-11.

Mechanisms that contribute to increased female susceptibility to multiple sclerosis can be studied in the murine model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). In this report, we compared oral tolerance induction in male and female B10.PL mice using fed myelin basic protein (MBP) Ac1-11 peptide or a high-affinity analogue, Ac1-11[4Y].

IL-7 enhances Ag-specific human T cell response by increasing expression of IL-2R alpha and gamma chains.

Interleukin-7 has demonstrated potent enhancing effects on the growth and differentiation of several immature cell types, including thymocytes, and on survival of resting and antigen activated T cells. In this study, we evaluated the effects of IL-7 on post-thymic antigen-specific T cells from human blood. IL-7 was found to enhance proliferation responses and IFN-gamma secretion of myelin or recall Ag-specific Th1 cells through the selective up-regulation of the IL-2Ralpha and gamma but not beta chains in both an Ag-dependent and Ag-independent manner, but did not affect monocytes, B cells, or NK cells.