Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Digestion of basic protein of human myelin with cyanogen bromide and trypsin.

Abstract

From a cyanogen bromide digest of the encephalitogenic basic protein of human brain a polypeptide—derived from the N-terminal end of the protein—was isolated and shown to induce experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. At low doses this peptide induced typical histological lesions unaccompanied by clinical symptoms and humoral antibody. Digestion of the protein with trypsin did not destroy its encephalitogenic activity. The basic protein of human myelin contains more than one encephalitogenic determinant.