期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：2016
卷号：113
期号：12
页码：3323-3328
DOI：10.1073/pnas.1519608113
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：Multiple sclerosis (MS) is caused by T cells that are reactive for brain antigens. In experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, the animal model for MS, myelin-reactive T cells initiate the autoimmune process when entering the nervous tissue and become reactivated upon local encounter of their cognate CNS antigen. Thereby, the strength of the T-cellular reactivation process within the CNS tissue is crucial for the manifestation and the severity of the clinical disease. Recently, B cells were found to participate in the pathogenesis of CNS autoimmunity, with several diverse underlying mechanisms being under discussion. We here report that B cells play an important role in promoting the initiation process of CNS autoimmunity. Myelin-specific antibodies produced by autoreactive B cells after activation in the periphery diffused into the CNS together with the first invading pathogenic T cells. The antibodies accumulated in resident antigen-presenting phagocytes and significantly enhanced the activation of the incoming effector T cells. The ensuing strong blood–brain barrier disruption and immune cell recruitment resulted in rapid manifestation of clinical disease. Therefore, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-specific autoantibodies can initiate disease bouts by cooperating with the autoreactive T cells in helping them to recognize their autoantigen and become efficiently reactivated within the immune-deprived nervous tissue.
