Abstract
Conventional methods to induce tolerance in humans have met with limited success. Hence, efforts to redirect tolerogen uptake using reovirus adhesin, protein sigma 1 (psigma1), may circumvent these shortcomings based upon the recent finding that when reovirus psigma1 is engineered to deliver chicken ovalbumin (OVA) mucosally, tolerance is obtained, even with a single dose. To test whether single-dose tolerance can be induced to treat EAE, proteolipid protein (PLP(130-151)) was genetically fused to OVA to psigma1 (PLP:OVA-psigma1) and shown to significantly ameliorate EAE, suppressing proinflammatory cytokines by IL-10(+) forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)(+) CD25(+)CD4(+) T(reg) and IL-4(+)CD25(-)CD4(+) Th2 cells. IL-10R or IL-4 neutralization reversed protection to EAE conferred by PLP:OVA-psigma1, and adoptive transfer of Ag-specific T(reg) or Th2 cells restored protection against EAE in recipients. Upon assessment of each relative participant, functional inactivation of CD25 impaired PLP:OVA-psigma1's protective capacity, triggering TGF-beta-mediated inflammation; however, concomitant inactivation of TGF-beta and CD25 reestablished PLP:OVA-psigma1-mediated protection by IL-28-producing FoxP3(+)CD25(-)CD4(+) T cells. Thus, psigma1-based therapy can resolve EAE independently of or dependently upon CD25 and assigns IL-28 as an alternative therapy for autoimmunity.