Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Jun;16(6):531-539.
doi: 10.1038/s41423-019-0221-5. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Innate, innate-like and adaptive lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of MS and EAE

Luc Van Kaer  1 , Joshua L Postoak  2 , Chuan Wang  2 , Guan Yang  2 , Lan Wu  2
Affiliations
Review

Innate, innate-like and adaptive lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of MS and EAE

Luc Van Kaer et al. Cell Mol Immunol. 2019 Jun.

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) in which the immune system damages the protective insulation surrounding the nerve fibers that project from neurons. A hallmark of MS and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), is autoimmunity against proteins of the myelin sheath. Most studies in this field have focused on the roles of CD4+ T lymphocytes, which form part of the adaptive immune system as both mediators and regulators in disease pathogenesis. Consequently, the treatments for MS often target the inflammatory CD4+ T-cell responses. However, many other lymphocyte subsets contribute to the pathophysiology of MS and EAE, and these subsets include CD8+ T cells and B cells of the adaptive immune system, lymphocytes of the innate immune system such as natural killer cells, and subsets of innate-like T and B lymphocytes such as γδ T cells, natural killer T cells, and mucosal-associated invariant T cells. Several of these lymphocyte subsets can act as mediators of CNS inflammation, whereas others exhibit immunoregulatory functions in disease. Importantly, the efficacy of some MS treatments might be mediated in part by effects on lymphocytes other than CD4+ T cells. Here we review the contributions of distinct subsets of lymphocytes on the pathogenesis of MS and EAE, with an emphasis on lymphocytes other than CD4+ T cells. A better understanding of the distinct lymphocyte subsets that contribute to the pathophysiology of MS and its experimental models will inform the development of novel therapeutic approaches.

Keywords: Adaptive lymphocytes; Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; Innate lymphoid cells; Innate-like T and B cells; Innate-like lymphocytes; Multiple sclerosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Subsets of innate, innate-like, and adaptive lymphocytes. The main subsets of innate, innate-like, and adaptive lymphocytes, and their key properties. Abbreviations: BCR B-cell receptor, ILC innate lymphoid cell, LTi lymphoid tissue inducer, MAIT mucosal-associated invariant T, MZB marginal zone B, NK natural killer, NKT natural killer T, TCR T-cell receptor, VDJ variable diversity joining
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Goverman J. Autoimmune T cell responses in the central nervous system. Nat. Rev. Immunol. 2009;9:393–407. doi: 10.1038/nri2550. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dobson R, Giovannoni G. Multiple sclerosis - a review. Eur. J. Neurol. 2019;26:27–40. doi: 10.1111/ene.13819. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Reich DS, Lucchinetti CF, Calabresi PA. Multiple sclerosis. N. Engl. J. Med. 2018;378:169–180. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1401483. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gholamzad M, et al. A comprehensive review on the treatment approaches of multiple sclerosis: currently and in the future. Inflamm. Res. 2019;68:25–38. doi: 10.1007/s00011-018-1185-0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Olsson T, Barcellos LF, Alfredsson L. Interactions between genetic, lifestyle and environmental risk factors for multiple sclerosis. Nat. Rev. Neurol. 2017;13:25–36. doi: 10.1038/nrneurol.2016.187. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

-