Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in mice: presence of myelin basic protein in cerebrospinal fluid

Sequence determinants of modified cobra venom neurotoxin which induce immune resistance to experimental allergic encephalomyelitis: molecular mechanisms for immunologic action

A nontoxic, iodoacetamide-modified cobratoxin derivative (CAM-NTX) induced resistance to experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in guinea pigs. Resistance was retained after trypsin digestion and shown to reside in N-terminal and central peptides of CAM-NTX. A similarly modified protein cardiotoxin (CAM-CTX), representative of proteins homologous with cobratoxin, was not immunosuppressive. Depressed clinical symptoms in EAE-resistant animals correlated with reduced lymphocytic infiltration of the brain. Antibody to myelin basic protein (MBP) was reduced in immunosuppressed animals. The immunoinhibitory determinants in CAM-NTX may mimic immune response suppressor proteins (SIRS-alpha 7) and the EAE-resistance region of MBP.

Myelin basic protein and magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosing radiation myelopathy

The identification of radiation myelopathy using biochemical assays and imaging techniques has not previously been accomplished but has clear clinical application. Measurement of myelin basic protein (MBP) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and visualization of the spinal cord using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) gives a potentially accurate diagnosis of radiation myelopathy. Female New Zealand white rabbits were irradiated to the thoracic spinal cord with single doses of 15-45 Gy. Animals receiving higher doses (greater than or equal to 22 Gy) generally demonstrated an early paresis (4-8 weeks) that temporarily improved, and then progressed to complete paralysis by 14-18 weeks. MBP levels in the CSF became strikingly elevated to 100-1000 times the normal value. Subsequent, experiments in which rabbits were serially assessed for MBP levels demonstrated a transient elevation, which corresponded to the transient paresis, followed by dramatic elevations concurrent with the onset of paralysis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the irradiated spinal cord showed a geographically distinct region of abnormality that corresponded to the radiation field. Histopathology demonstrated demyelination, focal astrocytosis, erythrodiapedesis, and perineuronal edema in the irradiated sections. It appears that MBP levels in the CSF reflect not only radiation-induced myelopathy but also transient demyelination, and that MRI may have the potential to indicate the region of damage.

Chronic Theiler's virus infection in mice: appearance of myelin basic protein in the cerebrospinal fluid and serum antibody directed against MBP

Myelin basic protein (MBP) appears frequently in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of mice with chronic demyelination following intracerebral infection with Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV); antibody to MBP can frequently be found in the sera. The peaks of the immune responses to both MBP and TMEV coincide with the time course of the clinical signs of disease. Adsorption of mouse sera with TMEV or MBP indicate the non-identity of the antigens and the specificity of the antisera as measured by ELISA. Immunoblot analysis of sera confirmed the ELISA findings. The mechanism of induction of antibody directed against MBP and its role in TMEV-associated demyelination remain to be determined.