Using a motor neuron disease mouse model expressing human SOD1-G37R, we herein report the immunogenicity and therapeutic efficacy of two ALS vaccines, tgG-DSE2lim and tgG-DSE5b, based on the notion that native SOD1 would undergo early unfolding in disease to present "disease specific epitopes" (DSE).
The establishment of this SOD1-G37R cDNA transgenic model indicates that expression of mutant SOD1 proteins in the neuromuscular unit is sufficient to cause motor neuron disease.
To test these possibilities, levels of nitrotyrosine and markers for hydroxyl radical formation were measured in two lines of transgenic mice that develop progressive motor neuron disease from expressing human familial ALS-linked SOD1 mutation G37R.