Cell Recycling Process Helps Trigger Immune Attack on Protective Nerve Cell Protein Myelin

A cell recycling process helps trigger an immune response against myelin, the protein that protects nerve cells, a multiple sclerosis study indicates.

When University of Zurich researchers eliminated the process, mice developed much milder forms of an MS-like disease. Loss of myelin is the hallmark of MS.

In addition to providing key insights into the events leading to MS, the study suggested that there may be other ways to treat the disease than targeting immune cells. MS is an autoimmune disease, or one in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue instead of invaders.

Before the University of Zurich study, scientists knew little about the signals that tell immune T-cells to attack myelin in the brain. The Swiss researchers discovered that a protein that is active in cell material recycling is involved in the signaling.

They titled their study, which was published in the journal PNAS, “ATG-dependent phagocytosis in dendritic cells drives myelin-specific CD4 T cell pathogenicity during CNS inflammation.”

Cells digest old or unwanted components so they can reuse their building blocks. The recycling process, known as autophagy, is crucial to cells’ health.

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