Vaccination with a MHC class II peptide in Alum and inactive pertussis strongly ameliorates clinical MG in C57BL/6 mice

We have investigated the efficacy of immunization against peptides from predisposing MHC class II molecules in human-compatible adjuvants for ameliorating experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG). C57BL/6 mice were immunized three times with the peptide I-Aβ b62–76 in Alum + killed pertussis organisms (PT) prior to two injections with tAChR. The treatment greatly reduced the occurrence and severity of clinical MG relative to controls that received saline/Alum + PT or none. It also reduced antibody and T-cell responses against tAChR. The results have important implications for the possible immunotherapy of MG by targeting disease-associated MHC.