Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. The body's own immune cells attack and damage the layer that surrounds nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, which affects their ability to communicate with each other. The disease, which affects around 2.5 million people worldwide, is a common cause of disability in young adults and affects women particularly often. MS can lead to severe neurological disabilities such as sensory problems, pain and signs of paralysis.
A research team has now discovered a key aspect in the pathogenesis of MS. "We were able to show for the first time that certain B cells - the cells of the immune system that produce antibodies - activate the specific T cells that cause inflammation in the brain and nerve cell lesions," says the senior author.
Until recently, MS research had mainly focused on T cells, or T helper cells. They are the immune system's "guardians", which for example sound the alarm if the organism is infected with a virus or bacteria. In about one in a 1,000 people, the cells' ability to distinguish between the body's own and foreign structures becomes disturbed. The effect of this is that the misguided T cells start to attack the body's own nerve tissue - the onset of MS. However, the T cells aren't the sole cause of this. "A class of MS drugs called Rituximab and Ocrelizumab led us to believe that B cells also played an important part in the pathogenesis of the disease," explains the senior author. These drugs eliminate B cells, which very effectively inhibits inflammation of the brain and flare-ups in patients.
The researchers established the role of B cells by using an experimental in-vitro system that allowed blood samples to be analyzed. The blood of people with MS revealed increased levels of activation and cellular division among those T cells attacking the body's myelin sheaths that surround nerve cells. This was caused by B cells interacting with the T cells. When the B cells were eliminated, the researchers found that it very effectively inhibited the proliferation of T cells. "This means that we can now explain the previously unclear mechanism of these MS drugs," says the senior author.
Moreover, the team also discovered that the activated T cells in the blood notably included those that also occur in the brain in MS patients during flare-ups of the disease. It is suspected that they cause the inflammation. Further studies showed that these T cells recognize the structures of a protein that is produced by the B cells as well as nerve cells in the brain. After being activated in the peripheral blood, the T cells migrate to the brain, where they destroy nerve tissue. "Our findings not only explain how new MS drugs take effect, but also pave the way for novel approaches in basic research and therapy for MS," concludes the senior author.
http://www.media.uzh.ch/en/Press-Releases/2018/Multiple-Sclerosis.html
Latest News
Abusive drugs hijack natura…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Mechanism of action of the…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Role of fat in rare neurolo…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
How protein synthesis in de…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Atlas of mRNA variants in d…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Other Top Stories
Mitochondrial Complex I Activity Is Required for Maximal Autophagy
Read more
Novel imaging biomarker to help predict coronary inflammation
Read more
Regrowing and rewiring the spinal cord after injury!
Read more
Depression may raise risk of heart attack and stroke
Read more
EXP2 protein helps malaria parasite obtain nutrients during infection
Researchers have deciphered the role of a key protein that the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum uses to obtain nutrients while infecting red blood cells. Their study appears in Nature Microbiology.
According to the World Health Organization, in 2016 there were an estimated 216 million malaria cases and 445,000 malaria deaths. P. falciparum is responsible for most malaria-related deaths…
Read more
Protocols
A programmable targeted pro…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
MemPrep, a new technology f…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
A tangible method to assess…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
Stem cell-derived vessels-o…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Apr
Single-cell biclustering fo…
By newseditor
Posted 01 Apr
Publications
Exploiting pancreatic cance…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Structure of antiviral drug…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Type-I-interferon-responsiv…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Selenium, diabetes, and the…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Long-term neuropsychologica…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar