Center for Brain Immunology and Glia (BIG), Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Center for Brain Immunology and Glia (BIG), Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Neuron. 2021 Nov 17;109(22):3609-3618.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.10.022.
Mechanisms governing how immune cells and their derived molecules impact homeostatic brain function are still poorly understood. Here, we elucidate neuronal mechanisms underlying T cell effects on synaptic function and episodic memory. Depletion of CD4 T cells led to memory deficits and impaired long-term potentiation. Severe combined immune-deficient mice exhibited amnesia, which was reversible by repopulation with T cells from wild-type but not from IL-4-knockout mice. Behaviors impacted by T cells were mediated via IL-4 receptors expressed on neurons. Exploration of snRNA-seq of neurons participating in memory processing provided insights into synaptic organization and plasticity-associated pathways regulated by immune cells. IL-4Rα knockout in inhibitory (but not in excitatory) neurons was sufficient to impair contextual fear memory, and snRNA-seq from these mice pointed to IL-4-driven regulation of synaptic function in promoting memory. These findings provide new insights into complex neuroimmune interactions at the transcriptional and functional levels in neurons under physiological conditions.
目前,人们对于免疫细胞及其衍生分子如何影响大脑稳态功能的机制仍知之甚少。本研究阐明了 T 细胞影响突触功能和情景记忆的神经元机制。CD4 T 细胞耗竭会导致记忆缺陷和长时程增强受损。严重联合免疫缺陷小鼠表现出健忘症,而用来自野生型而非 IL-4 敲除型小鼠的 T 细胞重新填充则可逆转这种症状。T 细胞影响的行为是通过神经元上表达的 IL-4 受体介导的。对参与记忆处理的神经元的 snRNA-seq 的探索提供了有关受免疫细胞调控的突触组织和与可塑性相关通路的见解。抑制性(而非兴奋性)神经元中 IL-4Rα 的敲除足以损害情景性恐惧记忆,而来自这些小鼠的 snRNA-seq 表明,IL-4 驱动的突触功能调节可促进记忆。这些发现为生理条件下神经元中复杂的神经免疫相互作用在转录和功能水平上提供了新的见解。
Neuron. 2021-11-17
Nat Commun. 2019-8-21
Neuropsychopharmacology. 2013-1-22
J Neurosci. 2019-2-6
Sci Immunol. 2019-10-11
Nat Immunol. 2025-8-11
J Neuroinflammation. 2025-6-23
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2025
Front Cell Neurosci. 2025-4-10
J Alzheimers Dis Rep. 2025-3-28
Nat Rev Immunol. 2025-1-31
Neuron. 2018-10-24
Cell. 2018-8-9
Sci Transl Med. 2018-2-28