Sato F, Omura S, Jaffe S, Tsunoda I. Role of CD4+ T Cells in the Pathophysiology of Multiple Sclerosis.
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS 2016. [PMCID:
PMC7150304 DOI:
10.1016/b978-0-12-800763-1.00004-x]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Although the precise etiology of MS remains unclear, CD4+ T cells have been proposed to play not only effector but also regulatory roles in MS. CD4+ T cells can be divided into four subsets: pro-inflammatory helper T (Th) 1 and Th17 cells, anti-inflammatory Th2 cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs). The roles of CD4+ T cells in MS have been clarified by either “loss-of-function” or “gain-of-function” methods, which have been carried out mainly in autoimmune and viral models of MS: experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus infection, respectively. Observations in MS patients were consistent with the mechanisms found in the MS models, that is, increased pro-inflammatory Th1 and Th17 activity is associated with disease exacerbation, while anti-inflammatory Th2 cells and Tregs appear to play a protective role.
Collapse