Stimulation of PGE and TXB2 release from macrophages by C3b

Genome-wide significant association of ANKRD55 rs6859219 and multiple sclerosis risk.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a genetically complex disease that shares a substantial proportion of risk loci with other autoimmune diseases.1 Along these lines, ANKRD55 , originally implicated in rheumatoid arthritis, was recently reported as a potential novel MS risk gene (rs6859219, p=1.9×10−7).2 Here, we comprehensively validated this effect in independent datasets comprising 8846 newly genotyped subjects from Germany and France as well as 5003 subjects from two genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Upon meta-analysis of all available data (19 686 subjects), ANKRD55 rs6859219 now shows compelling evidence for association with MS at genome-wide significance (OR=1.19, p=3.1×10−11). Our stu…

Activation of macrophages by platelet activating factor (PAF)

Resolving the transcriptional transitions associated with oligodendrocyte generation from adult neural stem cells by single cell sequencing

AbstractThe subventricular zone (SVZ) is the largest neurogenic niche in the adult forebrain. Notably, neural stem cells (NSCs) of the SVZ generate not only neurons, but also oligodendrocytes, the myelin-forming cells of the central nervous system. Transcriptomic studies have provided detailed knowledge of the molecular events that regulate neurogenesis, but little is understood about adult oligodendrogenesis from SVZ-NSCs. To address this, we performed in-depth single-cell transcriptomic analyses to resolve the major differences in neuronal and oligodendroglial lineages derived from the adult SVZ. A hallmark of adult oligodendrogenesis was the stage-specific expression of transcriptional m…

Closing the case ofAPOEin multiple sclerosis: no association with disease risk in over 29 000 subjects: Figure 1

Background Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs429358 (e4) and rs7412 (e2), both invoking changes in the amino-acid sequence of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene, have previously been tested for association with multiple sclerosis (MS) risk. However, none of these studies was sufficiently powered to detect modest effect sizes at acceptable type-I error rates. As both SNPs are only imperfectly captured on commonly used microarray genotyping platforms, their evaluation in the context of genome-wide association studies has been hindered until recently. Methods We genotyped 12 740 subjects hitherto not studied for their APOE status, imputed raw genotype data from 8739 subjects from five ind…

Complement components in relation to macrophage function

Anaphylatoxic peptide C3a of complement and synthetic hexapeptide C3a 72–77 evoke thromboxane generation by macrophages

Genetic risk and a primary role for cell-mediated immune mechanisms in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is a common disease of the central nervous system in which the interplay between inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes typically results in intermittent neurological disturbance followed by progressive accumulation of disability. Epidemiological studies have shown that genetic factors are primarily responsible for the substantially increased frequency of the disease seen in the relatives of affected individuals, and systematic attempts to identify linkage in multiplex families have confirmed that variation within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) exerts the greatest individual effect on risk. Modestly powered genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have ena…

Clinical implications of serum neurofilament in newly diagnosed MS patients: a longitudinal multicentre cohort study

Abstract Background We aim to evaluate serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL), indicating neuroaxonal damage, as a biomarker at diagnosis in a large cohort of early multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Methods In a multicentre prospective longitudinal observational cohort, patients with newly diagnosed relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) were recruited between August 2010 and November 2015 in 22 centers. Clinical parameters, MRI, and sNfL levels (measured by single molecule array) were assessed at baseline and up to four-year follow-up. Findings Of 814 patients, 54.7% (445) were diagnosed with RRMS and 45.3% (369) with CIS when applying 2010 McDonald criteria (R…

Vaccination in multiple sclerosis patients treated with highly effective disease-modifying drugs: an overview with consideration of cladribine tablets

Infectious diseases are an important consideration in autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis. Infective episodes may trigger relapses and significantly deteriorate the course of the disease. Some immunotherapies may cause increased rates of infection-related adverse events. Thus, infection and vaccine-related issues should be included in the individualized patient-specific treatment strategy and counseling before starting therapy and regularly on treatment. Clinical and epidemiological studies as well as pharmacovigilance data repeatedly demonstrated the safety of the great majority of vaccines in multiple sclerosis patients. Moreover, studies have shown that vaccinations with kil…

Genome-wide significant association with seven novel multiple sclerosis risk loci

Objective A recent large-scale study in multiple sclerosis (MS) using the ImmunoChip platform reported on 11 loci that showed suggestive genetic association with MS. Additional data in sufficiently sized and independent data sets are needed to assess whether these loci represent genuine MS risk factors. Methods The lead SNPs of all 11 loci were genotyped in 10 796 MS cases and 10 793 controls from Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Austria and Russia, that were independent from the previously reported cohorts. Association analyses were performed using logistic regression based on an additive model. Summary effect size estimates were calculated using fixed-effect meta-analysis. Results…

An Assay to Determine Mechanisms of Rapid Autoantibody-Induced Neurotransmitter Receptor Endocytosis and Vesicular Trafficking in Autoimmune Encephalitis.

N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors (NMDARs) are among the most important excitatory neurotransmitter receptors in the human brain. Autoantibodies to the human NMDAR cause the most frequent form of autoimmune encephalitis involving autoantibody-mediated receptor cross-linking and subsequent internalization of the antibody-receptor complex. This has been deemed to represent the predominant antibody effector mechanism depleting the NMDAR from the synaptic and extra-synaptic neuronal cell membrane. To assess in detail the molecular mechanisms of autoantibody-induced NMDAR endocytosis, vesicular trafficking, and exocytosis we transiently co-expressed rat GluN1-1a-EGFP and GluN2B-ECFP alone or…

Influence of Macrophage Activation on the Synthesis of Complement Components C2, C3, C4

Macrophages are a major site of complement synthesis. In the guinea pig production of complement components C1, C2, C4, C3, D, B, and P by peritoneal macrophages has been demonstrated (reviewed in Ref. 1). Whereas marked differences exist in biological activity between resident, elicited and activated macrophages (2), we investigated whether this holds true for the synthesis and secretion of complement components C2, C3, and C4.

Subtle retinal pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by neuro-ophthalmological abnormalities beyond disturbed oculomotor control such as decreased visual acuity and disturbed visual evoked potentials. Here we report retinal alterations in a cohort of 24 patients with clinically definite (n = 20) or probable (n = 4) ALS as compared to matched controls. High-resolution spectral domain optical coherence tomography with retinal segmentation revealed a subtle reduction in the macular thickness and the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) as well as a marked thinning of the inner nuclear layer (INL). Our data indicate an unprecedented retinal damage pattern and suggest neurodegeneration beyond the mo…

Longitudinal prevalence and determinants of pain in multiple sclerosis: results from the German National Multiple Sclerosis Cohort study

Pain is frequent in multiple sclerosis (MS) and includes different types, with neuropathic pain (NP) being most closely related to MS pathology. However, prevalence estimates vary largely, and causal relationships between pain and biopsychosocial factors in MS are largely unknown. Longitudinal studies might help to clarify the prevalence and determinants of pain in MS. To this end, we analyzed data from 410 patients with newly diagnosed clinically isolated syndrome or relapsing-remitting MS participating in the prospective multicenter German National MS Cohort Study (NationMS) at baseline and after 4 years. Pain was assessed by self-report using the PainDETECT Questionnaire. Neuropsychiatri…

The metalloproteinase-disintegrin ADAM10 is exclusively expressed by type I muscle fibers.

ADAM10 (Kuzbanian) is a member of a recently discovered family of membrane-anchored metalloproteinases with a complex and conserved domain structure. In part, these metalloproteinases have been implicated in muscle formation. Herein the expression pattern of ADAM10 in human skeletal muscle was studied. ADAM10 was found to be present in human myoblasts and to be exclusively expressed in type I fibers, suggesting that it may be critical in muscle fiber differentiation.

Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Consensus Group (MSTCG): position statement on disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis (white paper)

Multiple sclerosis is a complex, autoimmune-mediated disease of the central nervous system characterized by inflammatory demyelination and axonal/neuronal damage. The approval of various disease-modifying therapies and our increased understanding of disease mechanisms and evolution in recent years have significantly changed the prognosis and course of the disease. This update of the Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Consensus Group treatment recommendation focuses on the most important recommendations for disease-modifying therapies of multiple sclerosis in 2021. Our recommendations are based on current scientific evidence and apply to those medications approved in wide parts of Europe, particular…

The cell-specific expression of metalloproteinase-disintegrins (ADAMs) in inflammatory myopathies

Inflammatory cell invasion and cytokine activation are important steps in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated diseases of muscle. Metalloproteinase-disintegrins (ADAMs) are considered to play a critical role in leukocyte migration by promoting cellular adhesion, cleavage of molecules of the extracellular matrix and shedding of membrane bound cytokines. Here, we report the expression patterns of ADAM8, ADAM9, ADAM10, ADAM12, ADAM17 and ADAM19 in cultured human myoblasts and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in vitro, as well as in biopsies from patients suffering from polymyositis (PM), dermatomyositis (DM), inclusion body myositis (IBM) and non-inflammatory controls. We observed an…

Quantitative studies of the secretion of complement component C3 by resident, elicited and activated macrophages. Comparison with C2, C4 and lysosomal enzyme release.

To quantitate the secretion of complement component C3 by guinea pig peritoneal macrophages an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed. C3 secretion was studied in resident, elicited and activated macrophages and compared with release of hemolytically active C2 and C4, as well as the lysosomal enzyme β-D-2-acetamido-2-deoxyglucosidase. Resident macrophages secreted about 6 ng C3/106 cells/h into culture supernatants over a period of 12 h. Corynebacterium parvum-activated cells were found to secrete 3 times that amount at nearly constant rates. There was a stepwise increase in secretion of functional C2 and C4 when comparing resident, elicited and activated macrophages; secretion was…

ECTRIMS/EAN guideline on the pharmacological treatment of people with multiple sclerosis.

Background and purpose: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease of the central nervous system. As new drugs are becoming available, knowledge on diagnosis and treatment must continuously evolve. There is therefore a need for a reference tool compiling current data on benefit and safety, to aid professionals in treatment decisions and use of resources across Europe. The European Committee of Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) and the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) have joined forces to meet this need. The objective was to develop an evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the pharmacological treatment of people with MS to guide healthcare professionals in…