Abstract
Abstract Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by extensive inflammation, demyelination, and axonal damage. The interleukin-7 receptor alpha (IL7Rα) chain is an essential subunit for the signaling receptors of both interleukin-7 (IL7) and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), which are involved in lymphocyte development, function, and homeostasis. Recently a mutation in the IL7Rα chain locus has been identified as a risk factor for MS. We show that mice with IL7Rα expression limited to thymic tissue (IL7RTgIL7R-/-) display a less severe form of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for MS. However, TSLPR-/- mice showed no protection from disease. Furthermore, anti-IL7Rα treatment in wild type (WT) mice after disease onset significantly decreased EAE severity and lymphocyte infiltration into the CNS, which was accompanied by a relative increase in resident microglia. Additionally, Rag-/- chimeric mice grafted with IL7RTgIL7R-/- or WT bone marrow cells displayed equivalent disease severity, implying that IL7Rα on a non-hematopoietic cell population contributes to EAE. Taken together, our data shows that systemic blockade of IL7Rα reduces EAE severity, and therefore serves as an optimal target for MS therapies.
Published Version
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