Expression of major histocompatibility complex class I antigens in the demyelinating twitcher CNS and PNS

✍ Scribed by Masako Taniike; Jill R. Marcus; Brian Popko; Kinuko Suzuki

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 247 KB
• Volume: 47
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0360-4012
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4547(19970301)47:5<539::aid-jnr9>3.0.co;2-i

✦ Synopsis

The expression of the major histocompatibility complex Class I antigens (Class I) was investigated in the nervous system of twitcher (C57BL/6J-twi), a murine model of Krabbe disease in humans. Class I mRNA expression was low in wild type and in twitcher mice prior to the onset of demyelination. However, immunoreactivity for Class I antigens was demonstrated in the spindle-shaped cells in the sciatic nerve and in ramified microglia, endothelial cells and Bergmann glia. In twitcher, transcription of Class I mRNA increased significantly with the progression of demyelination and Mac-1 1 macrophages/microglia express Class I immunoreactivity. Class I immunoreactivity was also found in CD3 1 T-cells that were scattered in demyelinating lesions. CD8 1 or CD4 1 cells were also found in the demyelinating area. The results of this study indicate that immunoreactivity to Class I antigens is detected in certain cells even in the wild-type mice and that Class I expression is enhanced in the twitcher nervous system paralleling the progression of demyelination. Expression of MHC molecules in nonimmunological demyelinating disease such as twitcher may suggest a role of Class I molecules in the progression of demyelination. Alternatively, the expression may be a non-specific cellular response to the breakdown of myelin.