title: End-point effector stress mediators in neuroimmune interactions: their role in immune system homeostasis and autoimmune pathology.
abstract: Much evidence has identified a direct anatomical and functional link between the brain and the immune system, with glucocorticoids (GCs), catecholamines (CAs), and neuropeptide Y (NPY) as its end-point mediators. This suggests the important role of these mediators in immune system homeostasis and the pathogenesis of inflammatory autoimmune diseases. However, although it is clear that these mediators can modulate lymphocyte maturation and the activity of distinct immune cell types, their putative role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease is not yet completely understood. We have contributed to this field by discovering the influence of CAs and GCs on fine-tuning thymocyte negative selection and, in particular, by pointing to the putative CA-mediated mechanisms underlying this influence. Furthermore, we have shown that CAs are implicated in the regulation of regulatory T-cell development in the thymus. Moreover, our investigations related to macrophage biology emphasize the complex interaction between GCs, CAs and NPY in the modulation of macrophage functions and their putative significance for the pathogenesis of autoimmune inflammatory diseases.
authors.affiliation: Immunology Research Center Branislav Jankovic, Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera, Torlak, 458 Vojvode Stepe, 11221 Belgrade, Serbia. miradim@sezampro.rs
authors.forename: Mirjana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dimitrijevic
authors.forename: Stanislava
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stanojevic
authors.forename: Natasa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kustrimovic
authors.forename: Gordana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leposavic
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015551:Autoimmunity; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000378:metabolism; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000276:immunology*; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000378:metabolism; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D055633:Immune System Phenomena; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015213:Neuroimmunomodulation; D009478:Neuropeptide Y / Q000378:metabolism; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D009478:Neuropeptide Y