Myelin proteolipid protein: an effective autoantigen and target of autoimmunity in multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Myelin proteolipid protein (PLP) is the most abundant protein in central nervous system (CNS) myelin and plays a major role in maintaining the structural and functional integrity of myelin. Its abundance in, and restriction to, CNS myelin and its post-translational modification by acylation make PLP an effective autoantigen, which can induce experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in rodents and non-human primates and which is a target of pathogenic autoimmunity in people with multiple sclerosis, a chronic inflammatory demyelinating CNS disease.