The acquisition of encephalitogenicity after sensitized cells are conditioned with myelin basic protein or concanavalin A

Abstract

When cells from rats immunized against neural antigens are incubated with myelin basic protein or concanavalin A, their ability to transfer experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is greatly increased. Using the rapid, localized form of EAE, we have shown that the increased encephalitogenicity of these cells was not manifest, or not fully manifest, in 1 day after passive transfer. Expression of the increased encephalitogenic potency required a period of residence in the recipient animal and this period did not depend on the duration of incubation in vitro. Conditioned cells were fully capable of eliciting the neutrophilic form of EAE, which is consistent with the notion that the recipient's mononuclear cells were not essential for the expression of the encephalitogenic potential of conditioned donor cells.