Cytokine-Ag fusion proteins represent a novel approach for induction of Ag-specific tolerance and may constitute an efficient therapy for autoimmune disease. This study addressed whether a fusion protein containing rat IFN-beta and the encephalitogenic 73-87 determinant of myelin basic protein (i.e., the neuroantigen, or NAg) could prevent or treat experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE...

IFN-γ-producing Th1 and IL-17-producing Th17 cells are the key participants in various autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Although both of these T cell subsets are known to be regulated by specific transcription factors and cytokines, the role of microRNAs that control these two inflammatory T cell subsets and...

UV light suppresses experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a widely used animal model of MS, in mice and may be responsible for the decreased incidence of MS in equatorial regions. To test this concept further, we applied commercially available sunblock preparations to mice before exposing them to UV radiation. Surprisingly, some of the sunblock preparations blocked EAE without UV rad...

CD8+ T cell depletion renders CD28-deficient mice susceptible to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). In addition, CD8-/-CD28-/- double-knockout mice are susceptible to EAE. These findings suggest a role for CD8+ T cells in the resistance of CD28-deficient mice to disease. Adoptive transfer of CD8+CD28- T cells into CD8-/- mice results in significant suppression of disease, while CD...

Mice deficient in interleukin (IL)-2 production or the IL-2 receptor alpha or beta chains develop a lethal autoimmune syndrome. CD4(+) regulatory T cells have been shown to prevent autoimmune diseases, allograft rejection, and to down-regulate antibody responses against foreign antigens. To assess the role of IL-2 in the generation and function of regulatory T cells, we transferred CD4(+) T cel...

Immune regulation of autoimmune disease can function at two sites: at the secondary lymphoid organs or in the target organ itself. In this study, we investigated the natural resolution of autoimmune pathology within the CNS using murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Recovery correlates with the accumulation of IL-10-producing CD4+CD25+ T cells within the CNS. These CD4+CD25+ ...

A strong association exists between mutations at the IL2 receptor alpha chain (CD25) gene locus and susceptibility to a number of T cell driven autoimmune diseases. Interestingly, the presence of certain CD25 susceptibility alleles has been correlated with significantly increased levels of the soluble form of CD25 (sCD25) in the serum of patients. However, the functional consequences, if any, o...

Students in psychology need to learn to design and analyze their own experiments. However, software that allows students to build experiments on their own has been limited in a variety of ways. The shipping of the first full release of the E-Prime system later this year will open up a new opportunity for addressing this problem. Because E-Prime promises to become the standard for building exper...

Technology-based interventions to promote health are expanding rapidly. Assessing the preliminary efficacy of these interventions can be achieved by employing single-case experiments (sometimes referred to as n-of-1 studies). Although single-case experiments are often misunderstood, they offer excellent solutions to address the challenges associated with testing new technology-based interventio...