Abstract
Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a neuroinflammatory disease with facets in common with multiple sclerosis (MS). It is induced in susceptible mammalian species, with rodents as the preferred hosts, and has been used for decades as a model to investigate the immunopathogenesis of MS as well as for preclinical evaluation of candidate MS therapeutics. Most commonly, EAE is generated by active immunization with central nervous system (CNS) antigens, such as whole CNS homogenate, myelin proteins, or peptides derived from these proteins. However, EAE actually represents a spectrum of diseases in which specific combinations of host/CNS antigen exhibit defined clinical profiles, each associated with unique immunological and pathological features. Similar to MS, EAE is a complex disease where development and progression are also modulated by environmental factors; therefore, the establishment of any given EAE variant can be challenging and requires careful optimization. Here, we describe protocols for three EAE variants, successfully generated in our laboratory, and provide additional information as to how to maintain their unique features and reproducibility.
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12 January 2024
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank La Trobe University for research scholarships to DL Maxwell and VJT Lim and La Trobe Animal Research and Teaching Facility (LARTF) for technical support. The work was funded by private donations and grants from La Trobe Research Focus Areas and Multiple Sclerosis Research Australia (MSRA).
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Orian, J.M., Maxwell, D.L., Lim, V.J.T. (2024). Active Induction of a Multiple Sclerosis-Like Disease in Common Laboratory Mouse Strains. In: Dworkin, S. (eds) Neurobiology. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2746. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3585-8_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3585-8_15
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