Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (61)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Meinl, E.
Right arrow Articles by Hohlfeld, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Meinl, E.
Right arrow Articles by Hohlfeld, R.
Social Bookmarking
 Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Brain, Vol. 117, No. 6, 1323-1332, 1994
© 1994 Guarantors of Brain


research-article

Multiple sclerosis Immunomodulatory effects of human astrocytes on T cells

Edgar Meinl1,*, Francesca Aloisi3, Birgit Ertl1, Frank Weber1,{dagger}, Rene de Waal Malefyt4, Hartmut Wekerle1 and Reinhard Hohlfeld1,2,

1Department of Neuroimmunology, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry Martinsried 2Department of Neurology, University of Munich Germany 3Department of Organ and System Pathophysiology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità Rome, Italy 4Human Immunology Department, DNAX Research Institute California, USA

Correspondence to: Correspondence to: Reinhard Hohlfeld, Department of Neurology, Klinikum Großhadern, University of Munich, D-81366 Munich, Germany

Using a human culture system, we have previously shown that interferon-{gamma}-and tumour necrosis factor-{alpha}-stimulated astrocytes are capable of presenting antigens to T lymphocytes, but do not support antigen-dependent T cell proliferation. To gain further insight into the mechanisms involved in the local regulation of intracerebral T cell responses, we have investigated the effects of astrocytes on T cell proliferation induced by peripheral blood-derived mononuclear cells (PBMC). We found that astrocytes derived from human embryonic brain were able to suppress PBMC-dependent proliferation of antigen-specific, CD4+ T cell lines. Interferon-{gamma} production by PBMC-stimulated T cells was also suppressed by astrocytes, and this inhibition was seen as early as 6 h after initiation of co-culture. The inhibitory effect was observed in the presence of both HLA matched and mismatched astrocytes and was mediated by astrocyte-derived soluble factor(s) rather than by direct cellular contact. Inhibition of T cell proliferation was incompletely reverted by indomethacin, suggesting that prostaglandins were partially involved in the suppressive effect. The cytotoxic mediator nitric oxide was not involved in astrocyte-mediated inhibition. These observations led us to further investigate the contribution of other mediators known to down-regulate inflammatory processes. Our astrocyte cultures did not synthesize interleukin (IL)-4 or IL-10, whereas they secreted both the latent and active forms of transforming growth factor- ß2. Transforming growth factor-ß was, however, found not to participate in astrocyte-induced inhibition in vitro. The inhibitory properties of human astrocytes may contribute to confinement of inflammatory lesions in multiple sclerosis and other inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system.

multiple sclerosis; astrocyte; T cell; autoimmunity; lesion

.

Received April 28, 1994. Revised July 12, 1994. Accepted July 30, 1994.


*Present address: Institut f{euro}r Klinische und Molekulare Virologie, Universität Erlangen-N{euro}rnberg, Erlangen, Germany

{dagger}Present address: Department of Neurology, University of Gottingen, Germany


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
IOVSHome page
G. Jiang, Y. Ke, D. Sun, G. Han, H. J. Kaplan, and H. Shao
Reactivation of Uveitogenic T Cells by Retinal Astrocytes Derived from Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis-Prone B10RIII Mice
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., January 1, 2008; 49(1): 282 - 289.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Immunol.Home page
I. Teige, Y. Liu, and S. Issazadeh-Navikas
IFN-beta Inhibits T Cell Activation Capacity of Central Nervous System APCs
J. Immunol., September 15, 2006; 177(6): 3542 - 3553.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
JEMHome page
N. Kawakami, S. Lassmann, Z. Li, F. Odoardi, T. Ritter, T. Ziemssen, W. E.F. Klinkert, J. W. Ellwart, M. Bradl, K. Krivacic, et al.
The Activation Status of Neuroantigen-specific T Cells in the Target Organ Determines the Clinical Outcome of Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
J. Exp. Med., January 20, 2004; 199(2): 185 - 197.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Immunol.Home page
O. Stuve, S. Youssef, A. J. Slavin, C. L. King, J. C. Patarroyo, D. L. Hirschberg, W. J. Brickey, J. M. Soos, J. F. Piskurich, H. A. Chapman, et al.
The Role of the MHC Class II Transactivator in Class II Expression and Antigen Presentation by Astrocytes and in Susceptibility to Central Nervous System Autoimmune Disease
J. Immunol., December 15, 2002; 169(12): 6720 - 6732.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
A. Cornet, T. C. Savidge, J. Cabarrocas, W.-L. Deng, J.-F. Colombel, H. Lassmann, P. Desreumaux, and R. S. Liblau
Enterocolitis induced by autoimmune targeting of enteric glial cells: A possible mechanism in Crohn's disease?
PNAS, October 25, 2001; (2001) 231474098.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Int ImmunolHome page
J. M. Soos, T. A. Ashley, J. Morrow, J. C. Patarroyo, B. E. Szente, and S. S. Zamvil
Differential expression of B7 co-stimulatory molecules by astrocytes correlates with T cell activation and cytokine production
Int. Immunol., July 1, 1999; 11(7): 1169 - 1179.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Immunol.Home page
J. P. Palma, R. L. Yauch, S. Lang, and B. S. Kim
Potential Role of CD4+ T Cell-Mediated Apoptosis of Activated Astrocytes in Theiler's Virus-Induced Demyelination
J. Immunol., June 1, 1999; 162(11): 6543 - 6551.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Immunol.Home page
J. M. Soos, J. Morrow, T. A. Ashley, B. E. Szente, E. K. Bikoff, and S. S. Zamvil
Astrocytes Express Elements of the Class II Endocytic Pathway and Process Central Nervous System Autoantigen for Presentation to Encephalitogenic T Cells
J. Immunol., December 1, 1998; 161(11): 5959 - 5966.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Immunol.Home page
F. Aloisi, F. Ria, G. Penna, and L. Adorini
Microglia Are More Efficient Than Astrocytes in Antigen Processing and in Th1 But Not Th2 Cell Activation
J. Immunol., May 15, 1998; 160(10): 4671 - 4680.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
A. Cornet, T. C. Savidge, J. Cabarrocas, W.-L. Deng, J.-F. Colombel, H. Lassmann, P. Desreumaux, and R. S. Liblau
Enterocolitis induced by autoimmune targeting of enteric glial cells: A possible mechanism in Crohn's disease?
PNAS, November 6, 2001; 98(23): 13306 - 13311.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]



Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.