Myelin basic protein–specific T lymphocytes in multiple sclerosis and controls: Precursor frequency, fine specificity, and cytotoxicity

A Panel of 90 myelin basic protein (MBP)-specific T-cell lines were derived from peripheral blood of eight patients with multiple sclerosis and four normal subjects. The precursor frequency of MBP-reactive T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cels ranged from 10 -7 to 9x10 -7 (mean, 6.7x10 -7 ) in the group of patients with multiple sclerosisand from 0.5x10 -7 to 9.8x10 -7 (mean, 5.6x10 -7 ) in the control was not statistically significant (p>0.1). These T-cell lines expressed exclusively CD3+CD4+CD8- phenotypes and were restricted predominantly by HLA-DR molecules. When tested with fragments and synthetic peptides of MBP, these MBP-specific T-cel lines (45 lines for each group) displayed a limited heterogeneous recognition to peptide 84-102 and the C-terminal peptide 149-171