Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Marmosets

Effects of biological sex and pregnancy in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis: It's complicated

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) can be induced in many animal strains by inoculation with central nervous system antigens and adjuvant or by the passive transfer of lymphocytes reactive with these antigens and is widely used as an animal model for multiple sclerosis (MS). There are reports that female sex and pregnancy affect EAE. Here we review the effects of biological sex and the effects of pregnancy on the clinical features (including disease susceptibility) and pathophysiology of EAE. We also review reports of the possible mechanisms underlying these differences. These include sex-related differences in the immune system and in the central nervous system, the effects of hormones and the sex chromosomes and molecules unique to pregnancy. We also review sex differences in the response to factors that can modify the course of EAE. Our conclusion is that the effects of biological sex in EAE vary amongst animal models and should not be widely extrapolated. In EAE, it is therefore essential that studies looking at the effects of biological sex or pregnancy give full information about the model that is used (i.e. animal strain, sex, the inducing antigen, timing of EAE induction in relation to pregnancy, etc.). In addition, it would be preferable if more than one EAE model were used, to show if any observed effects are generalizable. This is clearly a field that requires further work. However, understanding of the mechanisms of sex differences could lead to greater understanding of EAE, and suggest possible therapies for MS.

Recombinant myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein quality modifies evolution of experimental autoimmune encephalitis in macaques

Experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) is a well-recognized model for the study of human acquired demyelinating diseases (ADD), a group of inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by inflammation, myelin loss, and neurological impairment of variable severity. In rodents, EAE is typically induced by active immunization with a combination of myelin-derived antigen and a strong adjuvant as complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), containing components of the mycobacterial wall, while myelin antigen alone or associated with other bacterial components, as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), often fails to induce EAE. In contrast to this, EAE can be efficiently induced in non-human primates by immunization with the recombinant human myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (rhMOG), produced in Escherichia coli (E. coli), purified and formulated with incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA), which lacks bacterial elements. Here, we provide evidence indicating how trace amounts of bacterial contaminants within rhMOG may influence the course and severity of EAE in the cynomolgus macaque immunized with rhMOG/IFA. The residual amount of E. coli contaminants, as detected with mass spectrometry within rhMOG protein stocks, were found to significantly modulate the severity of clinical, radiological, and histologic hallmarks of EAE in macaques. Indeed, animals receiving the purest rhMOG showed milder disease severity, increased numbers of remissions, and reduced brain damage. Histologically, these animals presented a wider diversity of lesion types, including changes in normal-appearing white matter and prephagocytic lesions. Non-human primates EAE model with milder histologic lesions reflect more accurately ADD and permits to study of the pathogenesis of disease initiation and progression.

Antisera against Neisseria gonorrhoeae cross-react with specific brain proteins of the common marmoset monkey and other nonhuman primate species

Prenatal maternal infections with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) correlate with an increased lifetime probability for the offspring to develop psychosis. We could previously demonstrate that in human choroid plexus papilloma cells, anti-NG antibodies (α-NG) bind to mitochondrial proteins HSP60 and ATPB, and interfere with cellular energy metabolism. To assess the in vivo relevance for this, especially during prenatal neural development, we investigated here interactions of NG-specific antisera (α-NG1, α-NG2) with brain, choroid plexus and other non-neural tissues in pre- and perinatal samples of the nonhuman primate (NHP) Callithrix jacchus (CJ), a NHP model for preclinical research. In histological sections at embryonic day E75, immunohistochemistry revealed α-NG1 and -2-staining in choroid plexus, ganglionic hill, optic cup, heart, and liver. Within the cells, organelle-like structures were labeled, which could be identified by immunohistochemical double-labeling as mitochondria. Both one- and two-dimensional Western blot analysis revealed tissue specific patterns of α-NG1 immunoreactive bands and spots, respectively, which were subsequently characterized by mass spectrometry. Thereby we could confirm the interactions of α-NG1 with human HSP60 and ATPB also in CJ choroid plexus and liver. Even more important, in the CJ brain, several new targets, including NCAM1, CRMP2, and SYT1, were identified, which by unrelated studies have been previously suggested to correlate with an increased schizophrenia risk. These findings support the idea that the marmoset monkey is a useful NHP model to investigate the role of maternal bacterial infections during prenatal brain development, and thereby might improve the understanding of this important aspect of schizophrenia pathology.

Advanced MRI and staging of multiple sclerosis lesions

Over the past few decades, MRI-based visualization of demyelinated CNS lesions has become pivotal to the diagnosis and monitoring of multiple sclerosis (MS). In this Review, we outline current efforts to correlate imaging findings with the pathology of lesion development in MS, and the pitfalls that are being encountered in this research. Multimodal imaging at high and ultra-high magnetic field strengths is yielding biologically relevant insights into the pathophysiology of blood-brain barrier dynamics and both active and chronic inflammation, as well as mechanisms of lesion healing and remyelination. Here, we parallel the results in humans with advances in imaging of a primate model of MS - experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in the common marmoset - in which demyelinated lesions resemble their human counterparts far more closely than do EAE lesions in the rodent. This approach holds promise for the identification of innovative biological markers, and for next-generation clinical trials that will focus more on tissue protection and repair.

Functional MRI of visual responses in the awake, behaving marmoset

The visual brain is composed of interconnected subcortical and cortical structures that receive and process image information originating in the retina. The visual system of nonhuman primates, in particular macaques, has been studied in great detail in order to elucidate principles of human sensation and perception. The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is a small New World monkey of growing interest as a primate model for neuroscience. Marmosets have advantages over macaques because of their small size, lissencephalic cortex, and growing potential for viral and genetic manipulations. Previous anatomical studies and electrophysiological recordings in anesthetized marmosets have shown that this species' cortical visual hierarchy closely resembles that of other primates, including humans. Until now, however, there have been no attempts to systematically study visual responses throughout the marmoset brain using fMRI. Here we show that awake marmosets readily learn to carry out a simple visual task inside the bore of an MRI scanner during functional mapping experiments. Functional scanning at 500 μm in-plane resolution in a 30 cm horizontal bore at 7 T revealed robust positive blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI responses to visual stimuli throughout visual cortex and associated subcortical areas. Nonvisual sensory areas showed negative contrasts to visual stimuli compared to the fixation dot only baseline. Structured images of objects and faces led to stronger responses than scrambled control images at stages beyond early visual cortex. Our study establishes fMRI mapping of visual responses in awake, behaving marmosets as a straightforward and valuable tool for assessing the functional organization of the primate brain at high resolution.