SFB 1054
print


Breadcrumb Navigation


Content

IRTG 1054 Lecture - Anneli Peters

Institute for Clinical Neuroimmunoligy, BioMedical Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany

27.09.2019 at 09:15 

Title: Cooperation of Th17 cells and B cells in CNS autoimmunity

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease driven by self-reactive T helper cells, which promote tissue inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS). Research efforts both in MS patients, as well as in the animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), have largely focused on T cells. To test the encephalitogenic potential of different T cell subsets, we developed an adoptive transfer EAE model and could show that both Th1 and Th17 cells can induce disease independently of each other. Th1 cells showed a very stable phenotype in vivo, while Th17 cells proved to be more plastic, and their pathogenicity could be modulated by the composition of the differentiating cytokines. In addition, we found that Th17 cells are superior to other subsets in attracting B cells and inducing formation of submeningeal ectopic lymphoid follicles (eLFs) in the CNS. Interestingly, similar structures have also been described mainly in secondary progressive MS patients. Given the recent success of B cell-directed therapies in MS, we are currrently investigating the interplay between autoantigen-specific B and Th17 cells during disease initiation and progression using spontaneous transgenic mouse models, as well as adoptive transfer EAE. In the periphery, we are studying the role of B cells as antigen-presenting cells and cytokine producers to determine whether they can shape pathogenic Th17 responses. In the CNS, we are analyzing Th17:B cell interactions in the eLFs to gain insight into the cellular processes and functional relevance of these structures for disease.

 

Anneli Peters - Website

Host: Michael Hiltensperger (PhD student in Thomas Korn's lab)

 

Venue:

BioMedical Center (BMC), Room N 02.017,
Großhaderner Str. 9, Planegg-Martinsried


If you wish to talk to the speaker, please contact Katharina.Frank(at)med.uni-muenchen.de

 



Service

Participating Institutions