MOG peptides

MOG, or myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein, a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, is a myelin protein solely expressed at the outermost surface of myelin sheaths and oligodendrocyte membranes. MOG has a highly conserved amino acid sequence among species and is only present in mammals as a minor component of myelin.
Myelin is a lipid-rich substance which insulates nerve cell axons to increase the speed at which electrical signals travel. This insulating role for myelin is essential for normal motor function, sensory function and cognition, as demonstrated by the disorders that affect it, such as acquired inflammatory demyelinating disorder, inflammatory demyelinating peripheral neuropathies and multiple sclerosis. This latter disorder, multiple sclerosis, is the best known myelin disorder and is a chronic autoimmune demyelinating disease characterized by peripheral mononuclear infiltration, plaques in white matter and neurological dysfunction. It specifically affects the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve.
Various constituents of the myelin sheath have been identified as target autoantigens in the pathogenesis of MS, of which MOG is the best studied. Both MOG and its derived peptide, MOG (35-55) are strongly immunogenic and induce chronic experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in animal models. EAE models are widely used to study human multiple sclerosis.