Autoimmune T cells protect neurons from secondary degeneration after central nervous system axotomy.
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 the spread of damage.
Moalem
G
G
Department of Neurobiology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Leibowitz-Amit
R
R
Yoles
E
E
Mor
F
F
Cohen
I R
IR
Schwartz
M
M
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000276:immunology*; D019771:Axotomy; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000276:immunology; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009474:Neurons; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000166:cytology; D020221:Optic Nerve Injuries; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D004676:Myelin Basic Protein