Visualization of inflammation and demyelination in 2D2 transgenic mice with rodent MRI

- MRI can be used to identify subclinical neuroinflammatory lesions in 2D2tg mice.
- MRI can track the progression of disease longitudinally in 2D2tg mice.
- 2D2tg mice produce lesions in optic nerve tract and spinal cord, similarly to NMO.
- 2D2tg mouse is a valuable tool to study NMO disease.

Research tools are urgently needed to elucidate the specificities of NMO and MS due to their clinical similarity at the early stage of the diseases. Herein, using high-field-strength MRI we characterized the optic nerve and spinal cord lesions in 2D2tg mice (MOG 35-55 specific TCR). Specifically, early Blood-brain Barrier breakdown was observed in 86% of the 2D2tg mice, while the majority of mice showed little to no brain lesions. Further, immunohistology showed inflammatory infiltrates and demyelination in the brain and spinal cord that mirrored sites of MRI lesions, along with a decrease in AQP4 protein at lesion sites. Collectively, 2D2tg mice develop optic and spinal cord lesions that can be visualized by high-field rodent MRI and verified by pathological assessment. The similarity of these lesions with those seen in NMO patients suggests that the 2D2tg mouse might serve as a model for NMO research.