Hydrolysis of myelin basic protein in myelin membranes by granzymes of large granular lymphocytes.

Immune-mediated demyelination initially manifests as a separation of myelin lamellae followed by loss of myelin proteins and eventual loss of myelin membranes. Myelin basic protein, one of the major structural proteins of myelin, is highly vulnerable to various proteases derived from diverse cell types. Killer lymphocytes such as CTL, in addition to other immune effectors, have been implicated in inflammatory demyelination. In addition to a pore forming peptide, the granules of CTL and large granular lymphocytes (LGL) contain a number of serine esterases collectively called as granzymes. We studied the effect of these granule enzymes on myelin and found that LGL granule-extracts (LGL-g) hydrolyzed MBP in myelin membranes. LGL-g also cleaved purified MBP at neutral pH in a Ca2+ independent manner and this hydrolysis was inhibited by serine esterase inhibitors. In addition, absorption of LGL-g with antigranzyme A significantly reduced MBP hydrolysis. These findings implicated the granzymes in LGL-g, especially granzyme A, as the agent causing MBP degradation. Inasmuch as activation of CTL in the vicinity of myelinated axons can lead to granule exocytosis, hydrolysis of MBP by granzymes may be a significant event in myelin destruction.