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Astrocyte cells in the brain have immune memory

The central nervous system’s astrocyte cells respond to injury and disease. The finding that they form molecular memories of certain responses, and that these modify inflammatory signalling, sheds light on autommunity.
  1. Michael V. Sofroniew

    1. Michael V. Sofroniew is in the Department of Neurobiology, University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.

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A history of infection, traumatic injury or disease can influence the onset, progression or severity of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, such as autoimmune disease, stroke and neurodegenerative disease. How this occurs is poorly understood. An emerging potential mechanism is a form of intracellular molecular memory that is mediated by what are called epigenetic changes — modifications of proteins that control the accessibility of DNA for gene expression. Epigenetic immune memory is well characterized in cells of the ‘innate’ branch of the immune system after defence responses, and the process heightens subsequent defence responses1. Writing in Nature, Lee et al.2 reveal that a CNS cell called an astrocyte can acquire epigenetic immune memory that amplifies the cell’s pro-inflammatory signalling in response to specific molecular stimuli and during autoimmune disease. The findings open doors to understanding and potentially ameliorating various CNS disorders.

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Nature 627, 744-745 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00676-7

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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