MOG-Induced Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Mice were immunized subcutaneously with 250 μg MOG³⁵, ³⁶, ³⁷, ³⁸, ³⁹, ⁴⁰, ⁴¹, ⁴², ⁴³, ⁴⁴, ⁴⁵, ⁴⁶, ⁴⁷, ⁴⁸, ⁴⁹, ⁵⁰, ⁵¹, ⁵², ⁵³, ⁵⁴, ⁵⁵ peptide (AnaSpec, Fremont, CA) emulsified in CFA containing 500 μg Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra (Difco, Detroit, MI). On days 0 and 3, each mouse was injected intraperitoneally with 200 ng of purified Bordetella pertussis toxin (Enzo Life Sciences, Farmingdale, NY). Mice were scored daily for the severity of the disease using a five‐point scale: 0, no symptoms; 1, limp tail; 2, limp tail with loss of righting; 3, paralysis of a single hind limp; 4, paralysis of both hind limps; and 5, moribund state or death. Mice were sacrificed on day 14 (peak symptomatic day). Spinal cord tissues were harvested and flash‐frozen and used for mRNA analysis.