EAE, EAN and EAU are widely used experimental disease models to study inflammation of the nervous system. The most prominent autoantigens in Lewis rats are myelin basic protein (MBP) for induction of EAE, the peripheral nerve P 2 protein for induction of EAN and the interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein (IRBP) for induction of uveoretinitis. In all three models, autoimmune inflammation is initiated by CD4 + T-lymphocytes and major immunologic differences can be observed in the reactivity of the target organs. In order to facilitate future comparative studies of these three animal models in regard of immune regulation and target tissue responses, we asked whether it is possible to combine three major pathogenic determinants into one recombinant molecule, thereby inducing all three disease patterns in one model. We designed a multicomponent synthetic gene encoding major pathogenic determinants for Lewis rats of myelin basic protein (MBP 68-84 ), interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein (IRBP 1169-1191 ), and P 2 protein (P 2,53-78 ). This new model of generalized autoimmunity of the rat nervous system (GANS) effectively combines all necessary features of EAE, EAN, and EAU. Immunization with recombinant protein reliably induces a monophasic, non-lethal disease with inflammatory lesions in the eye, brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. The animal model of GANS has distinct advantages: The most apparent will be the reduction of animal numbers in screening assays by combining three autoimmune models in one. Redundant animal experiments could be avoided. In addition, GANS has potential to all studies regarding differential aspects of immunoregulation, barrier-function and parenchymal inflammatory processes.