Inflammation and adaptive immunity in Parkinson's disease.
The immune system is designed to protect the host from infection and injury. However, when an adaptive immune response continues unchecked in the brain, the proinflammatory innate microglial response leads to the accumulation of neurotoxins and eventual neurodegeneration. What drives such responses are misfolded and nitrated proteins. Indeed, the antigen in Parkinson's disease (PD) is an aberrant self-protein, although the adaptive immune responses are remarkably similar in a range of diseases. Ingress of lymphocytes and chronic activation of glial cells directly affect neurodegeneration. With this understanding, new therapies aimed at modulating the immune system's response during PD could lead to decreased neuronal loss and improved clinical outcomes for disease.
Movement Disorders Program, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, USA.
R Lee
RL
Mosley
Jessica A
JA
Hutter-Saunders
David K
DK
Stone
Howard E
HE
Gendelman
D056704:Adaptive Immunity / Q000276:immunology*; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000276:immunology; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D017628:Microglia / Q000276:immunology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D017510:Protein Folding