Autoimmune t cells protect neurons from secondary degeneration after central nervous system axotomy

ABSTRACT AUTOIMMUNITY TO ANTIGENS OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM IS USUALLY CONSIDERED DETRIMENTAL. T CELLS SPECIFIC TO A CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM SELF ANTIGEN, SUCH AS MYELIN BASIC PROTEIN,

CAN INDEED INDUCE EXPERIMENTAL AUTOIMMUNE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS, BUT SUCH T CELLS MAY NEVERTHELESS APPEAR IN THE BLOOD OF HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. WE SHOW HERE THAT AUTOIMMUNE T CELLS SPECIFIC TO

MYELIN BASIC PROTEIN CAN PROTECT INJURED CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM NEURONS FROM SECONDARY DEGENERATION. AFTER A PARTIAL CRUSH INJURY OF THE OPTIC NERVE, RATS INJECTED WITH ACTIVATED ANTI–MYELIN

BASIC PROTEIN T CELLS RETAINED APPROXIMATELY 300% MORE RETINAL GANGLION CELLS WITH FUNCTIONALLY INTACT AXONS THAN DID RATS INJECTED WITH ACTIVATED T CELLS SPECIFIC FOR OTHER ANTIGENS.

ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS CONFIRMED THIS FINDING AND SUGGESTED THAT THE NEUROPROTECTION COULD RESULT FROM A TRANSIENT REDUCTION IN ENERGY REQUIREMENTS OWING TO A TRANSIENT REDUCTION IN

NERVE ACTIVITY. THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT T–CELL AUTOIMMUNITY IN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, CAN EXERT A BENEFICIAL EFFECT BY PROTECTING INJURED NEURONS FROM

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Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS B CELLS ORCHESTRATE TOLERANCE TO THE NEUROMYELITIS OPTICA AUTOANTIGEN AQP4 Article Open access 21 February 2024 CD8+ T CELLS

SPECIFIC FOR CRYPTIC APOPTOSIS-ASSOCIATED EPITOPES EXACERBATE EXPERIMENTAL AUTOIMMUNE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS Article Open access 29 October 2021 MICROGLIA-MEDIATED DEMYELINATION PROTECTS AGAINST

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We thank S. Smith and P. Taylor for editorial assistance, and I. Friedmann for help with graphics. I.R. Cohen is the incumbent of the Mauerberger Chair in Immunology, the director of the

Robert Koch–Minerva Center for Research in Autoimmune Disease and the director of the Center for the Study of Emerging Diseases. M.S. holds the Maurice and Ilse Katz Professorial Chair in

Neuroimmunology. AUTHOR INFORMATION Author notes * Gila Moalem, Felix Mor and Irun R. Cohen: Department of Immunology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel G.M. & R.L.–A.

contributed equally to the work. AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Department of Neurobiology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Gila Moalem, Raya Leibowitz–Amit, Eti Yoles & 

Michal Schwartz Authors * Gila Moalem View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Raya Leibowitz–Amit View author publications You can also search

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THIS ARTICLE Moalem, G., Leibowitz–Amit, R., Yoles, E. _et al._ Autoimmune T cells protect neurons from secondary degeneration after central nervous system axotomy. _Nat Med_ 5, 49–55

(1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/4734 Download citation * Received: 24 August 1998 * Accepted: 03 November 1998 * Issue Date: January 1999 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/4734 SHARE THIS

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