期刊
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
卷 22, 期 4, 页码 421-430出版社
ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2007.11.010
关键词
CD4 T cell; central nervous system; experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; inflammation; multiple sclerosis
The regulation of the inflammatory response is often viewed as very complex with many cellular players. The type of immune response generated is dependent upon the nature of the immune stimulation. In autoimmunity, one of the most important players is the CD4 T cell. The CD4 T cell lineage consists of a number of phenotypically and functionally distinct subsets. The unique functions of CD4 T cells are often mediated by soluble factors, which shape the nature of the immune response. In a T cell-mediated autoimmune response, such as in multiple sclerosis (MS), the CD4 T cell is thought to orchestrate and drive the immune response resulting in inflammation within the central nervous system (CNS). The extent of the inflammation must be tightly controlled or permanent tissue damage will occur. In MS, progressive debilitating disease is thought to be due to such damage. In addition to promoting inflammation, the CD4 T cell lineage also has the capacity to prevent and downmodulate inflammation. This is accomplished by specific CD4 T regulatory (Treg) cells and other regulatory feedback mechanisms. Thus although the complexity of the immune system is often viewed as too complicated for a nonimmunologist to fully understand, there are patterns that emerge that make the system clearer. One such pattern is the balance that the immune system must always maintain. A weak or slow immune response to a pathogen can lead to sickness and even death, while a too robust or uncontrolled immune response can lead to tissue damage, and for autoimmune diseases, ultimately death. How CD4 T cells maintain this balance will be discussed in the context of the CNS autoimmune disease MS. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
作者
我是这篇论文的作者
点击您的名字以认领此论文并将其添加到您的个人资料中。
推荐
暂无数据