PLP [139-151] Peptide

The PLP [139-151] peptide from the myelin proteolipid protein (PLP) has been found to be highly immunogenic in inducing experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in SJC/J (H-2s) mice as part of an autoimmune response. The sequence is derived from PLP with a cysteine residue replaced by a serine. The peptide is conserved in mouse, rat, monkey, dog, pig, bovine and found to be similar in chicken, frog, turtle except for the first two residues. Mouse T-cell clones that are reactive with the peptide have been developped, and variations on the different clones' ability to elicit the immune response have been used to understand mechanisms of T-cell function. Later work has devised analogs of this peptide that block the immune response in vitro and in vivo, with implications for the regulation of autoimmune diseases.