Fig. 1.

Prevention and treatment of EAE with CD4⁺CD25⁺ RMTC. (A) Prophylactic treatment. A total of 1 × 10⁶ flow cytometrically purified CD4⁺CD25⁺ RMTC, control CD4⁺CD25⁺ non-Tg T cells, or saline was i.v. administered into SJL/J mice at the time of disease induction, and clinical disease was monitored. (B) Treatment of EAE after epitope spread. Treatment with 1 × 10⁶ Tg or non-Tg cells or saline was delayed until 31 days after disease induction (vertical line). At this time T cell response was detected not only against the initiating MBP89-101 epitope but also against pathologic PLP139-151 and PLP178-191 epitopes (18). Disease curves were recalculated at the time of therapy to exclude animals that were not treated because of death or a moribund state. (C) Treatment with 1 × 10⁶ Tg or non-Tg CD4⁺CD25⁺ cells or saline at the time of induction of EAE with PLP139-151. Plots show mean clinical score from four to six animals per treatment group. Representative experiments are shown.