Neuroimmunology articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Previous studies have shown that depletion of microglia at early developmental stages leads to neuronal death. Here the authors use an inducible system to ablate microglia in adulthood, showing that such depletion leads to ataxia-like behavior and neuronal loss, and identifying the inflammatory components that may contribute.

    • Stephen J. Rubino
    • , Lior Mayo
    •  & Howard L. Weiner

  • Article
    | Open Access

    While previous studies had shown the requirement of TGFβ signalling in microglia gene expression, the specificity of the loss-of-function was unclear. Here, Zöller and colleagues generate microglia specific cKO of TGFβ receptor 2, and show dispensable function of Tgfbr2 in microglial survival and the requirement of Tgfbr2 in morphological and transcriptional homeostasis of adult microglia.

    • Tanja Zöller
    • , Artur Schneider
    •  & Björn Spittau

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease of which the etiology is still unclear. Here the authors show that elevation of intraocular pressure induces T cell infiltration in the eyes. Furthermore, they show that T cell cross-reactivity between endogenous and commensal antigens contributes to disease onset in mice.

    • Huihui Chen
    • , Kin-Sang Cho
    •  & Dong F. Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Neural activation can have wide ranging effects beyond central and peripheral nervous system. This work shows that chemogenetic activation of the brain’s reward system ventral tegmental area (VTA) can boost mice’s immune function, confer anti-tumor immunity, and reduce tumor mass in experimental rodent models of lung carcinoma and melanoma.

    • Tamar L Ben-Shaanan
    • , Maya Schiller
    •  & Asya Rolls

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In mammals, crosstalk between O2 and CO2 sensing central and peripheral chemoreceptors has been linked to functions of the hematopoietic system. Here, the authors show an evolutionarily relevant cascade involving multiple organs that links CO2- and O2-chemosensation to immune cell maturation in Drosophila.

    • Bumsik Cho
    • , Carrie M. Spratford
    •  & Jiwon Shim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Translation of mRNA contributes to neuronal function and complex behaviours, and inflammation is thought to contribute to depression. Here the authors show that mice lacking phosphorylation sites in eIF4E (eukaryotic initiation factor 4E) display anxiety- and depression-like behaviour and decreased IkBα expression; furthermore TNFα delivery to the medial prefrontal cortex induces depression-like behaviour and deficits in serotonergic transmission.

    • Argel Aguilar-Valles
    • , Nabila Haji
    •  & Nahum Sonenberg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Many diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, are characterized by a chronic inflammatory state, but it is not clear whether or how this affects the brain. Here, the authors show that the severity of on-going inflammation predicts altered functional brain connectivity in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

    • Andrew Schrepf
    • , Chelsea M. Kaplan
    •  & Neil Basu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Testosterone deficiency is associated with autoimmunity and increased B cell numbers, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here the authors show that testosterone may modulate the production of B cell survival factor BAFF by fibroblastic reticular cells via regulation of splenic neurotransmitter levels.

    • Anna S. Wilhelmson
    • , Marta Lantero Rodriguez
    •  & Åsa Tivesten

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a rare autoimmune condition characterized by inflammation and demyelination of the optic nerve and the spinal cord. Here, Estrada et al. identify NMO susceptibility variants in the MHC region and find that autoantibody-positive NMO genetically overlaps with lupus.

    • Karol Estrada
    • , Christopher W. Whelan
    •  & Daniel G. MacArthur

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Endothelial cells release extracellular matrix components that regulate inflammation. Here the authors demonstrate that the extracellular matrix component epidermal growth factor-like protein 7 regulates inflammation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in the mouse.

    • Catherine Larochelle
    • , Timo Uphaus
    •  & Frauke Zipp

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Dendritic cell antigen presentation is central to CD8+ T cell responses, but surprisingly little is known about the requirement for this functionality in the central nervous system. Here, the authors use three different models of neuroinflammation to show the importance of these cells in the CNS and in response to cerebral malaria, picornavirus infection and experimental glioma.

    • Courtney S. Malo
    • , Matthew A. Huggins
    •  & Aaron J. Johnson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Aging is associated with various changes in the brain, including transcription alteration. Here, Bradshaw and colleagues describe the transcriptome of aged human cortical microglia, and show age-related gene expression as related to neurodegeneration.

    • Marta Olah
    • , Ellis Patrick
    •  & Elizabeth M. Bradshaw

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Progressive multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory and degenerative disease of the central nervous system, for which effective treatment is lacking. The authors carry out a screen to identify orally available generic medications, and show that the antidepressant clomipramine reduces pathology in mouse models.

    • Simon Faissner
    • , Manoj Mishra
    •  & V. Wee Yong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Circulating hormones undergo fluctuations during sleep. Here, the authors increase electroencephalographic slow oscillations (SO) during sleep in men using an auditory closed-loop stimulation, and show that the circulating level of cortisol, aldosterone and immune cell count can be altered.

    • Luciana Besedovsky
    • , Hong-Viet V. Ngo
    •  & Jan Born

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Microglia cells in the brain regulate immune responses, but in ageing can negatively affect brain function. Here the authors show that the chronic presence of type I interferon in aged mouse brain impedes cognitive ability by altering microglia transcriptome and limiting Mef2C, a microglia ‘off’ signal.

    • Aleksandra Deczkowska
    • , Orit Matcovitch-Natan
    •  & Michal Schwartz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Certain neuropeptides, in addition to their neuromodulatory functions, display antibacterial activities of unclear significance. Here, the authors show that a secreted neuropeptide modulates the distribution of bacterial communities on the body surface during development of the model organism Hydra.

    • René Augustin
    • , Katja Schröder
    •  & Thomas C. G. Bosch

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare genetic disease causing multisystem tumour growth. Here the authors analyse 111 TSC-associated tissues for TSC1/TSC2 status, DNA mutations, copy number aberrations, differential gene expression and DNA methylation patterns providing a comprehensive genomic landscape.

    • Katie R. Martin
    • , Wanding Zhou
    •  & Jeffrey P. MacKeigan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    T helper 17 (Th17) cells can be pathogenic, but what controls this phenotype is unclear. Here the authors show that the transcription factor JunB promotes proinflammatory Th17 function by regulating the transcription of multiple Th17-related genes.

    • Zafrul Hasan
    • , Shin-ichi Koizumi
    •  & Hiroki Ishikawa

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Neurons can convert pathogenic T cells to anti-inflammatory FoxA1+ regulatory T cells (Tregs), which can ameliorate EAE, but the molecular mechanism is only partially understood. Liu et al. show that autocrine interferon β signalling induces PDL1 expression in neurons, which is essential for neurons to reprogramme pathogenic T cells to FoxA1+ Tregs.

    • Yawei Liu
    • , Andrea Marin
    •  & Shohreh Issazadeh-Navikas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    There is concern about potential long-term effects of antibiotics on children’s health. Here Leclercqet al. show, in mice, that low doses of penicillin during late pregnancy and early life induce lasting effects on the offspring, including alterations in gut microbiota, brain cytokine levels and behaviour.

    • Sophie Leclercq
    • , Firoz M. Mian
    •  & John Bienenstock

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Diphtheria toxin selectively kills cells engineered to express the diphtheria toxin receptor (DTR). Here the authors report a PEGylated version of diphtheria toxin that does not enter the brain, allowing for ablation of only peripheral cells when using Cre lines that drive DTR expression in both the periphery and in the brain.

    • Mafalda M. A. Pereira
    • , Inês Mahú
    •  & Ana I. Domingos

  • Article
    | Open Access

    NSAID-induced analgesia is typically induced by inhibition of COX enzymes. Here the authors show instead that fenamate NSAIDs inhibit the Nlrp3 inflammasome via an effect on volume-regulated anion channel function and also repurpose these drugs for therapeutic effect in rodent models of Alzheimer disease.

    • Michael J. D. Daniels
    • , Jack Rivers-Auty
    •  & David Brough

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Factor XII initiates the intrinsic blood coagulation cascade and the kinin system. Here the authors show that Factor XII is elevated in the blood of multiple sclerosis patients, activates dendritic cells via CD87 and cAMP, and its blockade inhibits immunopathology in a mouse model of the disease.

    • Kerstin Göbel
    • , Susann Pankratz
    •  & Sven G. Meuth

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Whole tissue RNA profiling can help identify altered molecular pathways underlying neurodegenerative disease, but often masks cell type-specific transcriptional changes. Here, the authors compare transcriptomes of neurons, astrocytes, and microglia from Alzheimer's disease model brains and identify hundreds of cell-type specific changes.

    • Karpagam Srinivasan
    • , Brad A. Friedman
    •  & David V. Hansen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Most of the cell penetrating peptides can transport therapeutic agents across plasma membranes but barely across the blood-brain barrier. Here the authors develop a peptide that can enter the brain, and show that its fusion to immunomodulatory protein ctCTLA-4 is effective in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.

    • Sangho Lim
    • , Won-Ju Kim
    •  & Je-Min Choi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Autoimmune brain inflammation is associated with activation of macrophages and microglia. Here the authors show that fibrinogen induces encephalitogenic T-cell activation and macrophage recruitment to the central nervous system, and promotes demyelination in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.

    • Jae Kyu Ryu
    • , Mark A. Petersen
    •  & Katerina Akassoglou

  • Article
    | Open Access

    T cells that are activated by self-antigens in the periphery can migrate into the brain causing neuroinflammatory disease. Here the authors show that TBK1 is necessary for activated T-cell egress from the lymph node, and blocking TBK1 ameliorates autoimmunity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.

    • Jiayi Yu
    • , Xiaofei Zhou
    •  & Shao-Cong Sun

  • Article |

    ß-TrCP is an adaptor protein that controls activity of several key regulatory proteins including NFκB by ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. Here Shi et al. demonstrate that ß-TrCP is negatively regulated by the brain-specific protein TRIM9, limiting activation of NFκB and production of proinflammatory cytokines.

    • Mude Shi
    • , Hyelim Cho
    •  & Jae U. Jung

  • Article
    | Open Access

    MicroRNA-9 (miR-9) is known for its function in neurogenesis and axonal extension but its role in the immune responses in the brain is not fully understood. Here, Yao et al. show that miR-9 is involved in the activation of microglia, cells of the myeloid origin that are involved in immune surveillance in the brain.

    • Honghong Yao
    • , Rong Ma
    •  & Shilpa Buch

  • Article |

    Autoimmune diseases are regulated by the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Here, the authors show that the transcriptional regulator Blimp1 is induced in inflammatory T helper cells by the cytokines IL-27 and IL-12 to counteract pro-inflammatory IL-23 and promote resolution of tissue inflammation.

    • Christina Heinemann
    • , Sylvia Heink
    •  & Thomas Korn

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