Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
Curr Opin Neurol. 2019 Oct;32(5):764-770. doi: 10.1097/WCO.0000000000000729.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative motor neuron disease with a strong neuroinflammatory component. This review summarizes how the connection between neurodegeneration and the immune system is strengthened by new discoveries from ALS genetics and the analysis of subpopulations of immune cells in ALS.
Recent genes identified in ALS encode for proteins with direct immune roles, which when mutated lead to deregulation of immune functions, potentially influencing the disease. Although neuroinflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) of ALS patients has been well documented, new evidence suggests also direct malfunctions of immune cells in the CNS and at the periphery. Although CD4+ T-regulatory lymphocytes are protective in ALS, their number and function are altered over the disease course. CD8+ T cells are detrimental for motor neurons in the CNS but show some protective roles at the periphery. Similarly, the presence of mast cells in muscles of ALS models and patients and impairments of monocyte functions reveal potential new players in ALS disease progression.
Although motor neuron degeneration is considered the prime event in ALS, dysfunctions in immune processes can impact the disease, highlighting that targeting specific immune components is a strategy for developing biomarkers and ultimately new drugs.
肌萎缩侧索硬化症(ALS)是一种退行性运动神经元疾病,具有强烈的神经炎症成分。这篇综述总结了 ALS 遗传学的新发现以及 ALS 免疫细胞亚群分析如何加强神经退行性变与免疫系统之间的联系。
最近在 ALS 中鉴定的基因编码具有直接免疫作用的蛋白质,当这些蛋白质发生突变时,会导致免疫功能失调,从而可能影响疾病。尽管 ALS 患者中枢神经系统(CNS)中的神经炎症已有充分的文献记载,但新的证据表明,CNS 和外周免疫细胞也存在直接功能障碍。虽然 CD4+T 调节性淋巴细胞在 ALS 中具有保护作用,但它们的数量和功能在疾病过程中会发生改变。CD8+T 细胞对 CNS 中的运动神经元有害,但在外周具有一些保护作用。同样,ALS 模型和患者肌肉中肥大细胞的存在以及单核细胞功能的损害揭示了 ALS 疾病进展中的潜在新参与者。
尽管运动神经元退行性变被认为是 ALS 的主要事件,但免疫过程的功能障碍可能会影响疾病,这强调了针对特定免疫成分是开发生物标志物和最终新药物的一种策略。