Microglia and TREM2 Microglia-Specific Gene May Exert a Protective Role in Alzheimer´s Disease
A study published in the May issue of Neuron indicates that the brain microglia may exert a protective role in Alzheimer´s disease (AD) by tightly wrapping around the early amyloid fibrils and plaques endorsing their compaction and insulation. In Alzheimer´s disease two hallmark protein aggregates, amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are the major players […]
TLRs-Activated Microglia Polarizes γδ T Cells towards a Neurotoxic IL-17+ γδ T Cell Phenotype: Implications for Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke and Alzheimer´s Disease
A recent PLoS One study indicates that the cross-talk between the brain microglia and T cells that follows a microglia’s activation via Toll-like receptors (TLRs) stimulation, results in a shift of the T cells’ profile towards a neurotoxic IL-17+ γδ T cells phenotype. After the discovery of T helper (Th)17 cells in 2005, their main […]
The Th17–IL-17–IL-17R System Linked To Altered Brain Development and Autism-Like Symptoms in Mice
A new report published in Science indicates that the key pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-17a may interfere with the normal brain development in a mouse model of autism, causing disorganized cortical cytoarchitecture and autism-like symptoms. IL-17 is a highly pathogenic pro-inflammatory cytokine, considered a major player in several autoimmune/inflammatory diseases, whereas altered cytokine profiles and increased […]
Sympathetic Nerves Keep Up an Anti-Inflammatory State by Inhibiting Macrophage TNF-α Expression in Fat Tissue
New report, published in Endocrinology, implicates the activity of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and its β2-adrenoceptor signaling pathway in sustaining at low levels the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in macrophages of lean mice. Pro-inflammatory macrophages play a key role in the pathogenesis of the systemic low-grade chronic inflammation, associated […]
First Evidence that IL-9 Contributes to Atherosclerosis Development
Perhaps the first evidence for an involvement of IL-9 in atherosclerosis was recently reported in the online journal PLoS One by Ida Gregersen and colleagues from the Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway. Interleukin (IL)-9 is a cytokine linked mostly to T helper (Th)2 cell responses and Th2-related conditions such as parasitic helminth infections and […]
Arthritis Protection By Estrogens: Driving Th17 Cells To Lymph Nodes But Restricting Their Migration to the Joints?
Annica Andersson and colleagues from the Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden published in Arthritis Research & Therapy a study indicating that the regulation exerted by estrogens, to the Th17 cell traffic and migration, may play an important role in the well established protective role of female hormones in rheumatoid […]
Novel TRAIL+ NK Cell Subset May Restrain Autoreactivity in Viral Infections: Implications For Sjogren’s Disease and Virus-Induced Autoimmunity
A new study published in the journal Immunity reveals a new role of TRAIL-expressing NK cells during chronic viral infection that may provide further insights into the link between viruses and autoimmune disease development. The TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL/Apo2L) is known to induce apoptosis and selective toxicity for cancer cells. However, TRAIL also inhibits autoimmune […]
New Subset of T Helper Cells May Play a Critical Role in Multiple Sclerosis
A study by Wanqiang Sheng and colleagues from the National University of Singapore, published in Cell Research identifies a new subset of T helper (Th) cells that may play a key role in autoimmune neuroinflammatory conditions such as multiple sclerosis. Recent evidence indicates that granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a major encephalitogenic factor contributing to […]
Important New Features and Glucocorticoid-Resistance of Pro-Inflammatory Th17 Cells
A recent study by Radha Ramesh and colleagues, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine indicates that the expression of the multi-drug transporter MDR1 (also known as P-glycoprotein [P-gp] and ABCB1) is a marker that defines the pro-inflammatory nature of T helper (Th)17 cells. The Th17 cells are major players in inflammatory/autoimmune conditions, but not […]
A PTSD Mouse Model Links Stress with Acute Heart Injury
In the February 2014 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS) Ji-Hoon Choa and colleagues from the Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, USA, used an adapted aggressor-exposed social stress mouse model for PTSD to demonstrate genetically associated stress-induced tissue injuries on peripheral organs, including the heart. Posttraumatic […]
