quantification of autoantibodies in the serum of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis immunized mice using elisa

Investigating Humoral Response in Autoimmune Demyelination

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by focal infiltration of immune cells into the brain parenchyma, breakdown of myelin sheaths wrapping axons, glia activation, and neuronal loss1. In addition to the well-established role of pathogenic T cells, multiple lines of evidence have highlighted the involvement of B cells in mediating the autoimmune response against the CNS. B cells undergo clonal expansion in the MS brain and antibodies against myelin components have been detected within demyelinated lesions2,3. The selective activation of peripheral B cells at disease onset has been recently documented, suggesting a putative role for this immune cell compartment in disease initiation as well4. The success of B cell-depleting therapies such as anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies further corroborates the mechanistic connection between aberrant B cell functioning and autoimmune demyelination5,6. From a molecular standpoint, B cells can contribute to disease via autoantigen presentation, pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, and autoreactive antibody production.
Multiple animal models have been developed to recapitulate specific features of the complex MS phenotype. Among them, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the most widely used in vivo paradigm and relies on the immunization of experimental animals with short peptides derived from myelin proteins such as myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) and myelin basic protein (MBP)7. EAE immunized animals develop a demyelinating pathology that resembles MS in many aspects, including a robust humoral response against the encephalitogenic peptide8. For this reason, EAE studies have been instrumental in dissecting the function of B cells and autoantibodies in the context of disease. For instance, it was demonstrated that MOG-specific antibodies isolated from MS patients can aggravate the clinical course in EAE models9. Notably, the proline residue at position 42 in human MOG was shown to be critical for determining autoantibody pathogenicity10. More recently, MOG-specific autoantibodies have been found to promote disease not only by mediating myelin loss but also via boosting the reactivation of autoreactive T cells within the CNS11. 
Considering the importance of antibody responses in CNS autoimmunity, this article presents an ELISA-based protocol to efficiently measure the serum levels of autoreactive antibodies in C57BL/6J mice EAE immunized with MOG35-55 peptide. In the first part of the protocol, the method to collect serum via intracardiac puncture will be described. Subsequently, the procedures to set up the ELISA assay and acquire the data will be detailed. Lastly, data analysis and interpretation will be discussed.

Author Spotlight: Novel Assay for Studying B-Cell Responses in Multiple Sclerosis Research

Quantification of Autoreactive Antibodies in Mice upon Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

So the focus of our laboratory is to understand the molecular basis of multiple sclerosis, a immune disease of the central nervous system that is characterized by demyelination, neuroinflammation, and axonal injury. So this protocol represent an economical and flexible alternatives to commercial kits. Our can be easily adjusted to test B-cell antibody responses against different EEA peptides.My lab is devoted to further understanding the connection between neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in chronic neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Quantification of Autoantibodies in the Serum of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Immunized Mice Using ELISA

Begin by re-suspending the lyophilized MOG 35 55 peptide in water. Dilute the peptide stock to 10 micrograms per milliliter in coating buffer before the experiment. Now pipette 100 microliters of the final solution into wells of a 96 well plate.Simultaneously coat an equal number of wells with 100 microliters of BSA dissolved in coating buffer. Seal the plate with an adhesive film to prevent evaporation and incubate the plate overnight at four degrees Celsius. The next day, perform three washes of the plate with 200 microliters of PBS supplemented with 0.5%tween 20.Subsequently add 100 microliters per well of a blocking solution composed of 3%BSA in PBS. Incubate the sealed plate for one hour at 37 degrees Celsius in a hybridization oven. After incubation, wash the plate three times with 200 microliters per well of PBST.Dilute each serum sample obtained from the blood of EAE immunized mice in blocking solution and add 100 microliters per well to both MOG 35 55 and BSA coated wells. Add the same volume of blocking solution to designated blank wells. Incubate the sealed plate for two hours at room temperature with constant shaking.After incubation, remove the plate from the incubator and rinse the plate three times with 200 microliters per well of PBST. Dilute the HRP conjugated secondary antibody in a solution consisting of 0.2%BSA in PBST and add 100 microliters to each well. Incubate the sealed plate for one hour at room temperature maintaining constant shaking.Wash the plate three times with 200 microliters per well of PBST. Add 100 microliters of three, three prime, five, five prime tetramethyl benzidine substrate to each well. Incubate in the dark for one to five minutes monitoring the development of a blue color.Add 100 microliters of stop solution to each well. Then use a plate reader set at a wavelength of 450 nanometers to measure the optical density in each well. The optical density values of the EAE samples were significantly higher than the control samples indicating a robust immunoglobulin G response against the MOG peptide.

Research

JoVE Journal

Immunology and Infection

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a disease model that recapitulates the autoimmune disorder multiple sclerosis (MS) at histopathological ...