Effect of encephalitogenic protein on the migration in agarose of leucocytes from patients with multiple sclerosis. Correlations with clinical parameters, localization of antigenic determinants, and influence of corticotrophin treatment.

We have extended the results from our previous investigation of the reactivity of leucocytes from patients with multiple sclerosis and some other neurological diseases to bovine encephalitogenic protein, using the migration in agarose technique. 1. Reactivity (i.e. behaviour in the test deviating from that expected with cells from healthy subjects) is manifested either as an enhancement or an inhibition of leucocyte migration. 2. The incidence of subjects with cells showing reactivity to encephalitogenic protein is higher in the group of patients with multiple sclerosis than in the group of patients with other neurological diseases. 3. Reactivity to encephalitogenic protein is correlated to disease course score; patients with a chronic progression of the disease show the strongest reactivity in the test. 4. The tryptophan-containing region of the encephalitogenic protein appears to be a major determinant of significance for this test. 5. Patients tested during corticotrophin treatment tend to show a higher degree of reactivity in the test than expected-the increased reactivity seems to be primarily directed to the tryptophan-containing region.