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Sato F, Nakamura Y, Katsuki A, Khadka S, Ahmad I, Omura S, Martinez NE, Tsunoda I. Curdlan, a Microbial β-Glucan, Has Contrasting Effects on Autoimmune and Viral Models of Multiple Sclerosis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:805302. [PMID: 35198458 PMCID: PMC8859099 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.805302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disease characterized by inflammatory demyelination and axonal degeneration in the central nervous system (CNS). Bacterial and fungal infections have been associated with the development of MS; microbial components that are present in several microbes could contribute to MS pathogenesis. Among such components, curdlan is a microbial 1,3-β-glucan that can stimulate dendritic cells, and enhances T helper (Th) 17 responses. We determined whether curdlan administration could affect two animal models for MS: an autoimmune model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), and a viral model, Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV)-induced demyelinating disease (TMEV-IDD). We induced relapsing-remitting EAE by sensitizing SJL/J mice with the myelin proteolipid protein (PLP)139-151 peptide and found that curdlan treatment prior to PLP sensitization converted the clinical course of EAE into hyperacute EAE, in which the mice developed a progressive motor paralysis and died within 2 weeks. Curdlan-treated EAE mice had massive infiltration of T cells and neutrophils in the CNS with higher levels of Th17 and Th1 responses, compared with the control EAE mice. On the other hand, in TMEV-IDD, we found that curdlan treatment reduced the clinical scores and axonal degeneration without changes in inflammation or viral persistence in the CNS. In summary, although curdlan administration exacerbated the autoimmune MS model by enhancing inflammatory demyelination, it suppressed the viral MS model with reduced axonal degeneration. Therefore, microbial infections may play contrasting roles in MS depending on its etiology: autoimmunity versus viral infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumitaka Sato
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology, Louisiana State University Health-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States
| | - Yumina Nakamura
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Osaka, Japan
| | - Aoshi Katsuki
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Osaka, Japan
| | - Sundar Khadka
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ijaz Ahmad
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Osaka, Japan
| | - Seiichi Omura
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology, Louisiana State University Health-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States
| | - Nicholas E. Martinez
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology, Louisiana State University Health-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States
| | - Ikuo Tsunoda
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology, Louisiana State University Health-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States
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Bouin A, Semler BL. Picornavirus Cellular Remodeling: Doubling Down in Response to Viral-Induced Inflammation. CURRENT CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2020; 7:31-37. [PMID: 32704466 PMCID: PMC7377643 DOI: 10.1007/s40588-020-00138-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of Review To highlight recent findings on how picornavirus infections of the airways and cardiac tissues impact cellular inflammation and remodeling events. Recent Findings Recent published work has revealed that although many picornavirus infections appear to be initially asymptomatic, there are significant disease sequelae that result from chronic or persistent infections and the long-term, pathogenic effects on host tissues. Summary Because many acute picornavirus infections are asymptomatic, it is difficult to diagnose these pathologies at the early stages of disease. As a result, we must rely on preventative measures (i.e., vaccination) or discover novel treatments to reverse tissue damage and remodeling in affected individuals. Both of these strategies will require a comprehensive knowledge of virus-and cell-specific replication determinants and how these processes induce pathogenic effects in infected cells and tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Bouin
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics and Center for Virus Research, School of Medicine, University of California, Med Sci Bldg, Room B237, Irvine, CA 92697-4025, USA
| | - Bert L Semler
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics and Center for Virus Research, School of Medicine, University of California, Med Sci Bldg, Room B237, Irvine, CA 92697-4025, USA
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Gerhauser I, Hansmann F, Ciurkiewicz M, Löscher W, Beineke A. Facets of Theiler's Murine Encephalomyelitis Virus-Induced Diseases: An Update. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20020448. [PMID: 30669615 PMCID: PMC6358740 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20020448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV), a naturally occurring, enteric pathogen of mice is a Cardiovirus of the Picornaviridae family. Low neurovirulent TMEV strains such as BeAn cause a severe demyelinating disease in susceptible SJL mice following intracerebral infection. Furthermore, TMEV infections of C57BL/6 mice cause acute polioencephalitis initiating a process of epileptogenesis that results in spontaneous recurrent epileptic seizures in approximately 50% of affected mice. Moreover, C3H mice develop cardiac lesions after an intraperitoneal high-dose application of TMEV. Consequently, TMEV-induced diseases are widely used as animal models for multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and myocarditis. The present review summarizes morphological lesions and pathogenic mechanisms triggered by TMEV with a special focus on the development of hippocampal degeneration and seizures in C57BL/6 mice as well as demyelination in the spinal cord in SJL mice. Furthermore, a detailed description of innate and adaptive immune responses is given. TMEV studies provide novel insights into the complexity of organ- and mouse strain-specific immunopathology and help to identify factors critical for virus persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingo Gerhauser
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
| | - Florian Hansmann
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
- Center for System Neuroscience, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
| | - Malgorzata Ciurkiewicz
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
- Center for System Neuroscience, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
| | - Wolfgang Löscher
- Center for System Neuroscience, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
| | - Andreas Beineke
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
- Center for System Neuroscience, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
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Omura S, Kawai E, Sato F, Martinez NE, Minagar A, Al-Kofahi M, Yun JW, Cvek U, Trutschl M, Alexander JS, Tsunoda I. Theiler's Virus-Mediated Immunopathology in the CNS and Heart: Roles of Organ-Specific Cytokine and Lymphatic Responses. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2870. [PMID: 30619258 PMCID: PMC6295469 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) induces different diseases in the central nervous system (CNS) and heart, depending on the mouse strains and time course, with cytokines playing key roles for viral clearance and immune-mediated pathology (immunopathology). In SJL/J mice, TMEV infection causes chronic TMEV-induced demyelinating disease (TMEV-IDD) in the spinal cord about 1 month post-inoculation (p.i.). Unlike other immunopathology models, both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines can play dual roles in TMEV-IDD. Pro-inflammatory cytokines play beneficial roles in viral clearance while they are also detrimental in immune-mediated demyelination. Anti-inflammatory cytokines suppress not only protective anti-viral immune responses but also detrimental autoreactive immune responses. Conversely, in C3H mice, TMEV infection induces a non-CNS disease, myocarditis, with three distinctive phases: phase I, viral pathology with interferon and chemokine responses; phase II, immunopathology mediated by acquired immune responses; and phase III, cardiac fibrosis. Although the exact mechanism(s) by which a single virus, TMEV, induces these different diseases in different organs is unclear, our bioinformatics approaches, especially principal component analysis (PCA) of transcriptome data, allow us to identify the key factors contributing to organ-specific immunopathology. The PCA demonstrated that in vitro infection of a cardiomyocyte cell line reproduced the transcriptome profile of phase I in TMEV-induced myocarditis; distinct interferon/chemokine-related responses were induced in vitro in TMEV-infected cardiomyocytes, but not in infected neuronal cells. In addition, the PCA of the in vivo CNS transcriptome data showed that decreased lymphatic marker expressions were weakly associated with inflammation in TMEV infection. Here, dysfunction of lymphatic vessels is shown to potentially contribute to immunopathology by delaying the clearance of cytokines and immune cells from the inflammatory site, although this can also confine the virus at these sites, preventing virus spread via lymphatic vessels. On the other hand, in the heart, dysfunction of lymphatics was associated with reduced lymphatic muscle contractility provoked by pro-inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, TMEV infection may induce different patterns of cytokine expressions as well as lymphatic vessel dysfunction by rather different mechanisms between the CNS and heart, which might explain observed patterns of organ-specific immunopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seiichi Omura
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology, Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States
| | - Eiichiro Kawai
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology, Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States
| | - Fumitaka Sato
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology, Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States
| | - Nicholas E Martinez
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology, Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States
| | - Alireza Minagar
- Department of Neurology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States
| | - Mahmoud Al-Kofahi
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States
| | - J Winny Yun
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States
| | - Urska Cvek
- Department of Computer Science, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States
| | - Marjan Trutschl
- Department of Computer Science, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States
| | - J Steven Alexander
- Department of Neurology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States
| | - Ikuo Tsunoda
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology, Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States.,Department of Neurology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, United States
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Sato F, Kawai E, Martinez NE, Omura S, Park AM, Takahashi S, Yoh K, Tsunoda I. T-bet, but not Gata3, overexpression is detrimental in a neurotropic viral infection. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10496. [PMID: 28874814 PMCID: PMC5585213 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10980-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Intracerebral Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) infection in mice induces inflammatory demyelination in the central nervous system. Although C57BL/6 mice normally resistant to TMEV infection with viral clearance, we have previously demonstrated that RORγt-transgenic (tg) C57BL/6 mice, which have Th17-biased responses due to RORγt overexpression in T cells, became susceptible to TMEV infection with viral persistence. Here, using T-bet-tg C57BL/6 mice and Gata3-tg C57BL/6 mice, we demonstrated that overexpression of T-bet, but not Gata3, in T cells was detrimental in TMEV infection. Unexpectedly, T-bet-tg mice died 2 to 3 weeks after infection due to failure of viral clearance. Here, TMEV infection induced splenic T cell depletion, which was associated with lower anti-viral antibody and T cell responses. In contrast, Gata3-tg mice remained resistant, while Gata3-tg mice had lower IFN-γ and higher IL-4 production with increased anti-viral IgG1 responses. Thus, our data identify how overexpression of T-bet and Gata3 in T cells alters anti-viral immunity and confers susceptibility to TMEV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumitaka Sato
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka 589-8511, Japan.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport (LSUHSC-S), 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA.,Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology (CMTV), Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport (LSUHSC-S), 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA.,Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences (CCDS), Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport (LSUHSC-S), 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA
| | - Eiichiro Kawai
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport (LSUHSC-S), 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA.,Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology (CMTV), Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport (LSUHSC-S), 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA
| | - Nicholas E Martinez
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport (LSUHSC-S), 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA.,Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology (CMTV), Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport (LSUHSC-S), 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA
| | - Seiichi Omura
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka 589-8511, Japan.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport (LSUHSC-S), 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA.,Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology (CMTV), Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport (LSUHSC-S), 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA.,Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences (CCDS), Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport (LSUHSC-S), 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA
| | - Ah-Mee Park
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka 589-8511, Japan
| | - Satoru Takahashi
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan.,International Institute for Investigative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan.,Life Science Center, Tsukuba Research Alliance (TARA), University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan.,Laboratory Animal Resource Center (LARC), University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Keigyou Yoh
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Ikuo Tsunoda
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka 589-8511, Japan. .,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport (LSUHSC-S), 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA. .,Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology (CMTV), Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport (LSUHSC-S), 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA. .,Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences (CCDS), Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport (LSUHSC-S), 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA.
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Tsunoda I, Sato F, Omura S, Fujita M, Sakiyama N, Park AM. Three immune-mediated disease models induced by Theiler's virus: Multiple sclerosis, seizures and myocarditis. CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL NEUROIMMUNOLOGY 2016; 7:330-345. [PMID: 28603559 PMCID: PMC5464738 DOI: 10.1111/cen3.12341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) infection has been used as a viral model for multiple sclerosis (MS), as TMEV can induce chronic inflammatory demyelinating lesions with viral persistence in the spinal cord of SJL/J mice. In contrast, when C57BL/6 mice are infected with TMEV, the mice can clear the virus from the central nervous system (CNS), without viral persistence or demyelination, but develop seizures and hippocampal sclerosis, which has been used as a viral model for seizures/epilepsy. In the two TMEV-induced CNS disease models, not only viral infection, but also immune responses contribute to the pathogenesis. Interestingly, acquired immunity plays an effector role in the MS model, whereas innate immunity appears to contribute to the development of seizures. Recently, we have established the third TMEV-induced disease model, a mouse model for viral myocarditis, using C3H mice. TMEV-induced myocarditis is a triphasic disease, which mimics human myocarditis; phase I, mediated by viral replication in the heart and innate immunity; phase II, mediated by acquired immunity; and phase III, resulted from cardiac fibrosis. The genetic susceptibility to the aforementioned three models (MS, seizures and myocarditis) differs among mouse strains. We have compared and contrasted the three models induced by one single pathogen, TMEV, particularly in regard to the roles of T helper cells and natural killer T cells, which will give an insight into how interactions between the immune system and the host's genetic background determine the tissue tropism of virus and the development of virus-induced organ-specific immunopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ikuo Tsunoda
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Osaka, Japan
| | - Fumitaka Sato
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Osaka, Japan
| | - Seiichi Omura
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Osaka, Japan
| | - Mitsugu Fujita
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Osaka, Japan
| | - Namie Sakiyama
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ah-Mee Park
- Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Osaka, Japan
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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.
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8
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Van Kaer L, Wu L, Parekh VV. Natural killer T cells in multiple sclerosis and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Immunology 2015; 146:1-10. [PMID: 26032048 DOI: 10.1111/imm.12485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Revised: 05/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes demyelination of neurons in the central nervous system. Traditional therapies for MS have involved anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs with significant side effects that often only provide short-term relief. A more desirable outcome of immunotherapy would be to protect against disease before its clinical manifestation or to halt disease after its initiation. One attractive approach to accomplish this goal would be to restore tolerance by targeting immunoregulatory cell networks. Although much of the work in this area has focused on CD4(+) Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells, other studies have investigated natural killer T (NKT) cells, a subset of T cells that recognizes glycolipid antigens in the context of the CD1d glycoprotein. Studies with human MS patients have revealed alterations in the numbers and functions of NKT cells, which have been partially supported by studies with the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model of MS. Additional studies have shown that activation of NKT cells with synthetic lipid antigens can, at least under certain experimental conditions, protect mice against the development of MS-like disease. Although mechanisms of this protection remain to be fully investigated, current evidence suggests that it involves interactions with other immunoregulatory cell types such as regulatory T cells and immunosuppressive myeloid cells. These studies have provided a strong foundation for the rational design of NKT-cell-based immunotherapies for MS that induce tolerance while sparing overall immune function. Nevertheless, additional pre-clinical and clinical studies will be required to bring this goal to fruition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luc Van Kaer
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Lan Wu
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Vrajesh V Parekh
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
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