0000000000068685
AUTHOR
Hans Lassmann
TPP2 mutation associated with sterile brain inflammation mimicking MS
ObjectiveTo ascertain the genetic cause of a consanguineous family from Syria suffering from a sterile brain inflammation mimicking a mild nonprogressive form of MS.MethodsWe used homozygosity mapping and next-generation sequencing to detect the disease-causing gene in the affected siblings. In addition, we performed RNA and protein expression studies, enzymatic activity assays, immunohistochemistry, and targeted sequencing of further MS cases from Austria, Germany, Canada and Jordan.ResultsIn this study, we describe the identification of a homozygous missense mutation (c.82T>G, p.Cys28Gly) in the tripeptidyl peptidase II (TPP2) gene in all 3 affected siblings of the family. Sequencing o…
Myelin-specific T cells also recognize neuronal autoantigen in a transgenic mouse model of multiple sclerosis
T-cell recognition of autoantigens is important in the development of autoimmune disease. Now, Hartmut Wekerle and his colleagues demonstrate that organ-specific autoimmune responses may be driven by T cells that simultaneously respond to two different autoantigens found within the same target tissue. We describe here the paradoxical development of spontaneous experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in transgenic mice expressing a myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-specific T cell antigen receptor (TCR) in the absence of MOG. We report that in Mog-deficient mice (Mog−/−), the autoimmune response by transgenic T cells is redirected to a neuronal cytoskeletal self antigen, neur…
Translational value of choroid plexus imaging for tracking neuroinflammation in mice and humans.
Neuroinflammation is a pathophysiological hallmark of multiple sclerosis and has a close mechanistic link to neurodegeneration. Although this link is potentially targetable, robust translatable models to reliably quantify and track neuroinflammation in both mice and humans are lacking. The choroid plexus (ChP) plays a pivotal role in regulating the trafficking of immune cells from the brain parenchyma into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and has recently attracted attention as a key structure in the initiation of inflammatory brain responses. In a translational framework, we here address the integrity and multidimensional characteristics of the ChP under inflammatory conditions and question w…
Cutting edge: Multiple sclerosis-like lesions induced by effector CD8 T cells recognizing a sequestered antigen on oligodendrocytes.
Abstract CD8 T cells are emerging as important players in multiple sclerosis (MS) pathogenesis, although their direct contribution to tissue damage is still debated. To assess whether autoreactive CD8 T cells can contribute to the pronounced loss of oligodendrocytes observed in MS plaques, we generated mice in which the model Ag influenza hemagglutinin is selectively expressed in oligodendrocytes. Transfer of preactivated hemagglutinin-specific CD8 T cells led to inflammatory lesions in the optic nerve, spinal cord, and brain. These lesions, associating CD8 T cell infiltration with focal loss of oligodendrocytes, demyelination, and microglia activation, were very reminiscent of active MS le…
Apoptosis of oligodendrocytes via Fas and TNF-R1 is a key event in the induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
Abstract In experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for multiple sclerosis, immunization with myelin Ags leads to demyelination and paralysis. To investigate which molecules are crucial for the pathogenesis of EAE, we specifically assessed the roles of the death receptors Fas and TNF-R1. Mice lacking Fas expression in oligodendrocytes (ODCs) were generated and crossed to TNF-R1-deficient mice. To achieve specific deletion of a loxP-flanked fas allele in ODCs, we generated a new insertion transgene, expressing the Cre recombinase specifically in ODCs. Fas inactivation alone as well as the complete absence of TNF-R1 protected mice partially from EAE induced by the imm…
The protein tyrosine kinase Tec regulates a CD44highCD62L- Th17 subset.
Abstract The generation of Th17 cells has to be tightly controlled during an immune response. In this study, we report an increase in a CD44highCD62L− Th17 subset in mice deficient for the protein tyrosine kinase Tec. CD44highCD62L− Tec−/− CD4+ T cells produced enhanced IL-17 upon activation, showed increased expression levels of IL-23R and RORγt, and IL-23–mediated expansion of Tec−/− CD4+ T cells led to an increased production of IL-17. Tec−/− mice immunized with heat-killed Streptococcus pneumoniae displayed increased IL-17 expression levels in the lung postinfection with S. pneumoniae, and this correlated with enhanced pneumococcal clearance and reduced lung inflammation compared with T…