Search results for "Protective autoimmunity"

2014

The family of synuclein proteins (α, β and γ) are related to neurodegenerative disease e.g. Parkinson disease and Morbus Alzheimer. Additionally, a connection between γ-synuclein and glaucoma, a neurodegenerative disease characterized by a progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells, which finally leads to blindness, exists. The reason for the development of glaucoma is still unknown. Recent studies evaluating the participation of immunological components, demonstrate complex changed antibody reactivities in glaucoma patients in comparison to healthy people, showing not only up-regulations (e.g. alpha-fodrin antibody) but also down-regulations (e.g. γ-synuclein antibody) of antibodies in gla…

Regeneration After CNS Lesion: Help from the Immune System?

2010

Traumatic injury to the central nervous system (CNS) is followed by an inflammatory response, which is characterized by at least two very distinct phases: First, a short highly controlled burst of acute inflammatory defense and second, a long-term remodeling phase. Similarly, at least one or two phases of T-cell infiltration have been described in CNS trauma models suggesting differential functions of T cells in the acute and remodeling phase. Thus, the role of T cells in CNS trauma is still controversial. Interestingly, vaccine strategies and injections of autoimmune T cells led to both exacerbation of CNS damage after trauma in some models and improvement in others. Here, we suggest that …

Does autoimmunity play a part in the pathogenesis of glaucoma?

2013

Glaucoma is a chronic neurodegenerative disease and one of the leading causes of blindness. Several risk factors have been described, e.g. an elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), oxidative stress or mitochondrial dysfunction. Additionally, alterations in serum antibody profiles of glaucoma patients, upregulation (e.g. anti-HSP60, anti-MBP) and downregulation (e.g. anti-14-3-3), have been described, but it still remains elusive if the autoantibodies seen in glaucoma are an epiphenomenon or causative. However, it is known that elicited autoimmunity causes retinal ganglion cell loss resulting in glaucomatous-like damage and according to the autoaggressive nature of some autoantibodies we found…