Autoimmune diseases of the nervous system are mostly antibody-mediated diseases such as neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and autoantibody-mediated encephalitis except for multiple sclerosis (MS), where specific autoantibodies are not found thus far. Patients may manifest either focal or more generalized clinical signs depending on the regions and molecules targeted by the autoantibodies, which are being increasingly recognized in clinical practice. Moreover, there are scenarios where systemic immunity is implicated. Although most patients benefit from immunotherapy during the acute phase, more efforts are still required to optimize the outcome and to prevent recurrence for many patients.
Glial cells represent a major population of cells in the nervous system. Major glial cells include astrocytes, microglia and oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS) as well as Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Glial cells are critical in maintaining the homeostasis of the nervous system. Astrocytes are the most abundant cells in the CNS that are critical for water, ion and neurotransmitter homeostasis. Microglia are resident immune cells in the CNS that are crucial to maintaining homeostasis and normal function of the CNS under physiological conditions. Besides, microglia can sense inflammatory insults and trigger neuroinflammation and autoimmune responses under pathological conditions. Oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells form the myelin sheath of axons thus protect and support signal transmission through myelinated neurons. Novel glial functions, glial interactions and interplay between glia and neurons in health and disease represent a new frontier in the neuroscience research field.
Different types of glial cells have been implicated in the autoimmune diseases of the nervous system. Aquaporin 4 (AQP4) on astrocytes, for example, is the primary target of NMO. The binding of autoantibody with AQP4 induces internalization of AQP4 on astrocytes, which later on leads to complement activation and astrocytes lysis. Reactive microglial cells have also been shown to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of both NMO and MS. Oligodendrocytes are the cellular targets of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) associated disease (MOGAD). Schwann cells represent one of the major targets in immune-mediated disorders of PNS, such as acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP), a subtype of Guillain-Barré syndrome. Despite the progress made in the understanding of the involvement of glial cells in autoimmune diseases of the nervous system, many questions still remain unanswered in particular as regards the exact contributions of different types and subtypes of cells to the clinical course of the disease.
The goal of this research topic is to investigate the role of glial cells in various autoimmune diseases of the nervous system such as NMO, MS, MOGAD, autoimmune encephalitis and AIDP and to explore their participation in the pathogenesis of these diseases. We welcome all original research articles and reviews that explore the role of glial cells in autoimmune diseases of the nervous system. Importantly, studies on novel modulators of glial functions, which may be translated to new therapeutic targets, are encouraged.
Autoimmune diseases of the nervous system are mostly antibody-mediated diseases such as neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and autoantibody-mediated encephalitis except for multiple sclerosis (MS), where specific autoantibodies are not found thus far. Patients may manifest either focal or more generalized clinical signs depending on the regions and molecules targeted by the autoantibodies, which are being increasingly recognized in clinical practice. Moreover, there are scenarios where systemic immunity is implicated. Although most patients benefit from immunotherapy during the acute phase, more efforts are still required to optimize the outcome and to prevent recurrence for many patients.
Glial cells represent a major population of cells in the nervous system. Major glial cells include astrocytes, microglia and oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS) as well as Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Glial cells are critical in maintaining the homeostasis of the nervous system. Astrocytes are the most abundant cells in the CNS that are critical for water, ion and neurotransmitter homeostasis. Microglia are resident immune cells in the CNS that are crucial to maintaining homeostasis and normal function of the CNS under physiological conditions. Besides, microglia can sense inflammatory insults and trigger neuroinflammation and autoimmune responses under pathological conditions. Oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells form the myelin sheath of axons thus protect and support signal transmission through myelinated neurons. Novel glial functions, glial interactions and interplay between glia and neurons in health and disease represent a new frontier in the neuroscience research field.
Different types of glial cells have been implicated in the autoimmune diseases of the nervous system. Aquaporin 4 (AQP4) on astrocytes, for example, is the primary target of NMO. The binding of autoantibody with AQP4 induces internalization of AQP4 on astrocytes, which later on leads to complement activation and astrocytes lysis. Reactive microglial cells have also been shown to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of both NMO and MS. Oligodendrocytes are the cellular targets of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) associated disease (MOGAD). Schwann cells represent one of the major targets in immune-mediated disorders of PNS, such as acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP), a subtype of Guillain-Barré syndrome. Despite the progress made in the understanding of the involvement of glial cells in autoimmune diseases of the nervous system, many questions still remain unanswered in particular as regards the exact contributions of different types and subtypes of cells to the clinical course of the disease.
The goal of this research topic is to investigate the role of glial cells in various autoimmune diseases of the nervous system such as NMO, MS, MOGAD, autoimmune encephalitis and AIDP and to explore their participation in the pathogenesis of these diseases. We welcome all original research articles and reviews that explore the role of glial cells in autoimmune diseases of the nervous system. Importantly, studies on novel modulators of glial functions, which may be translated to new therapeutic targets, are encouraged.
