Regulatory Immune Cells Not Defective In Multiple Sclerosis

Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines
Article Date: 04 Sep 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes neurodegeneration, resulting in numerous physical and mental disabilities. It is thought to be caused by out of control immune cells that attack the proteins that make up the protective sheath in which nerve cells are encased. In addition, it has been reported that a subset of immune cells known as Tregs (characterized by expression of the protein CD4 and high levels of expression of the protein CD25), which suppresses the function of aggressive immune cells, is defective in individuals with MS, and that this contributes to the progression of the disease. However, it has recently been shown that if CD4+CD25high cells are divided into cells expressing high and low levels of the protein CD127 only the CD4+CD25highCD127low cells have suppressive capability. Thus, Jean-Paul Soulillou and colleagues, at INSERM U643, France, compared the suppressive capabilities of CD4+CD25highCD127low cells from individuals with MS and healthy individuals. Surprisingly, they found that these cell populations were equally effective suppressors of aggressive immune cells when analyzed in vitro. These data therefore indicate that the suppressive function of Tregs (when characterized as CD4+CD25highCD127low) is not defective in individuals with MS, suggesting that this defective Treg function is not a factor that contributes to the development of this debilitating autoimmune disease.

TITLE: Patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis have normal Treg function when cells expressing IL-7 receptor alpha-chain are excluded from the analysis

AUTHOR:

Jean-Paul Soulillou
INSERM U643, Nantes, France.
http://www.univ-nantes.fr

View the PDF of this article at: https://www.the-jci.org/article.php?id=35365

Source:
Karen Honey
Journal of Clinical Investigation