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Brummer T, Schillner M, Steffen F, Kneilmann F, Wasser B, Uphaus T, Zipp F, Bittner S. Spatial transcriptomics and neurofilament light chain reveal changes in lesion patterns in murine autoimmune neuroinflammation. J Neuroinflammation 2023; 20:262. [PMID: 37957728 PMCID: PMC10644497 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-023-02947-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Ongoing neuroaxonal damage is a major contributor to disease progression and long-term disability in multiple sclerosis. However, spatio-temporal distribution and pathophysiological mechanisms of neuroaxonal damage during acute relapses and later chronic disease stages remain poorly understood. METHODS Here, we applied immunohistochemistry, single-molecule array, spatial transcriptomics, and microglia/axon co-cultures to gain insight into spatio-temporal neuroaxonal damage in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). RESULTS Association of spinal cord white matter lesions and blood-based neurofilament light (sNfL) levels revealed a distinct, stage-dependent anatomical pattern of neuroaxonal damage: in chronic EAE, sNfL levels were predominately associated with anterolateral lumbar lesions, whereas in early EAE sNfL showed no correlation with lesions in any anatomical location. Furthermore, neuroaxonal damage in late EAE was largely confined to white matter lesions but showed a widespread distribution in early EAE. Following this pattern of neuroaxonal damage, spatial transcriptomics revealed a widespread cyto- and chemokine response at early disease stages, whereas late EAE was characterized by a prominent glial cell accumulation in white matter lesions. These findings were corroborated by immunohistochemistry and microglia/axon co-cultures, which further revealed a strong association between CNS myeloid cell activation and neuroaxonal damage both in vivo and in vitro. INTERPRETATION Our findings indicate that CNS myeloid cells may play a crucial role in driving neuroaxonal damage in EAE. Moreover, neuroaxonal damage can progress in a stage-dependent centripetal manner, transitioning from normal-appearing white matter to focal white matter lesions. These insights may contribute to a better understanding of neurodegeneration and elevated sNfL levels observed in multiple sclerosis patients at different disease stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Brummer
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (Rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Miriam Schillner
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (Rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Falk Steffen
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (Rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Flores Kneilmann
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (Rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Beatrice Wasser
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (Rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Timo Uphaus
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (Rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Frauke Zipp
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (Rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Stefan Bittner
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (Rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany.
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Larochelle C, Wasser B, Jamann H, Löffel JT, Cui QL, Tastet O, Schillner M, Luchtman D, Birkenstock J, Stroh A, Antel J, Bittner S, Zipp F. Pro-inflammatory T helper 17 directly harms oligodendrocytes in neuroinflammation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021. [PMID: 34417310 DOI: 10.1071/pnas.2025813118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
T helper (Th)17 cells are considered to contribute to inflammatory mechanisms in diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the discussion persists regarding their true role in patients. Here, we visualized central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory processes in models of MS live in vivo and in MS brains and discovered that CNS-infiltrating Th17 cells form prolonged stable contact with oligodendrocytes. Strikingly, compared to Th2 cells, direct contact with Th17 worsened experimental demyelination, caused damage to human oligodendrocyte processes, and increased cell death. Importantly, we found that in comparison to Th2 cells, both human and murine Th17 cells express higher levels of the integrin CD29, which is linked to glutamate release pathways. Of note, contact of human Th17 cells with oligodendrocytes triggered release of glutamate, which induced cell stress and changes in biosynthesis of cholesterol and lipids, as revealed by single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis. Finally, exposure to glutamate decreased myelination, whereas blockade of CD29 preserved oligodendrocyte processes from Th17-mediated injury. Our data provide evidence for the direct and deleterious attack of Th17 cells on the myelin compartment and show the potential for therapeutic opportunities in MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Larochelle
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine-Main Neuroscience Network, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany; .,Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Department of Neurosciences, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
| | - Beatrice Wasser
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine-Main Neuroscience Network, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Hélène Jamann
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Department of Neurosciences, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
| | - Julian T Löffel
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine-Main Neuroscience Network, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Qiao-Ling Cui
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Olivier Tastet
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Department of Neurosciences, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
| | - Miriam Schillner
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine-Main Neuroscience Network, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Dirk Luchtman
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine-Main Neuroscience Network, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Jérôme Birkenstock
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine-Main Neuroscience Network, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Albrecht Stroh
- Institute for Pathophysiology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Jack Antel
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Stefan Bittner
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine-Main Neuroscience Network, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Frauke Zipp
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine-Main Neuroscience Network, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany;
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Loos J, Schmaul S, Noll TM, Paterka M, Schillner M, Löffel JT, Zipp F, Bittner S. Functional characteristics of Th1, Th17, and ex-Th17 cells in EAE revealed by intravital two-photon microscopy. J Neuroinflammation 2020; 17:357. [PMID: 33243290 PMCID: PMC7694901 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-020-02021-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background T helper (Th) 17 cells are a highly plastic subset of T cells, which in the context of neuroinflammation, are able to acquire pathogenic features originally attributed to Th1 cells (resulting in so called ex-Th17 cells). Thus, a strict separation between the two T cell subsets in the context of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is difficult. High variability in culture and EAE induction protocols contributed to previous conflicting results concerning the differential contribution of Th1 and Th17 cells in EAE. Here, we systematically evaluate the role of different T cell differentiation and transfer protocols for EAE disease development and investigate the functional dynamics of encephalitogenic T cells directly within the inflamed central nervous system (CNS) tissue. Methods We compiled the currently used EAE induction protocols reported in literature and investigated the influence of the different Th1 and Th17 differentiation protocols as well as EAE induction protocols on the EAE disease course. Moreover, we assessed the cytokine profile and functional dynamics of both encephalitogenic Th1 and Th17 cells in the inflamed CNS using flow cytometry and intravital two-photon laser scanning microscopy. Lastly, we used astrocyte culture and adoptive transfer EAE to evaluate the impact of Th1 and Th17 cells on astrocyte adhesion molecule expression in vitro and in vivo. Results We show that EAE courses are highly dependent on in vitro differentiation and transfer protocols. Moreover, using genetically encoded reporter mice (B6.IL17A-EGFP.acRFP x 2d2/2d2.RFP), we show that the motility of interferon (IFN)γ-producing ex-Th17 cells more closely resembles Th1 cells than Th17 cells in transfer EAE. Mechanistically, IFNγ-producing Th1 cells selectively induce the expression of cellular adhesion molecules I-CAM1 while Th1 as well as ex-Th17 induce V-CAM1 on astrocytes. Conclusions The behavior of ex-Th17 cells in EAE lesions in vivo resembles Th1 rather than Th17 cells, underlining that their change in cytokine production is associated with functional phenotype alterations of these cells. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12974-020-02021-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Loos
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Samantha Schmaul
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Theresa Marie Noll
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Magdalena Paterka
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Miriam Schillner
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Julian T Löffel
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Frauke Zipp
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Stefan Bittner
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) and Immunotherapy (FZI), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
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Müller K, Schnatz A, Schillner M, Woertge S, Müller C, von Graevenitz I, Waisman A, van Minnen J, Vogelaar CF. A predominantly glial origin of axonal ribosomes after nerve injury. Glia 2018; 66:1591-1610. [DOI: 10.1002/glia.23327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Müller
- Institute for Microanatomy and Neurobiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Mainz 55131 Germany
| | - Andrea Schnatz
- Institute for Microanatomy and Neurobiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Mainz 55131 Germany
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Section Cellular Neurobiology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Mainz 55099 Germany
| | - Miriam Schillner
- Department of Neurology, Section Neuroimmunology; University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Mainz 55131 Germany
| | - Simone Woertge
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Mainz 55131 Germany
| | - Christina Müller
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Section Cellular Neurobiology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Mainz 55099 Germany
| | - Ilse von Graevenitz
- Institute for Microanatomy and Neurobiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Mainz 55131 Germany
| | - Ari Waisman
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Mainz 55131 Germany
| | - Jan van Minnen
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Cumming School of Medicine; University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW; Calgary Alberta T2N 4N1 Canada
| | - Christina F. Vogelaar
- Institute for Microanatomy and Neurobiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Mainz 55131 Germany
- Department of Neurology, Section Neuroimmunology; University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Mainz 55131 Germany
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