Involvement of Sema4A in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica

Abstract

Semaphorins were initially identified as axon guidance cues during neural development, however, several semaphorins are crucially involved in various phases of immune responses. Sema4A is one of the membrane-type class IV semaphorins, which is expressed in dendritic cells (DCs) and plays critical roles in T cell activation during the course of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; however, its pathological involvement in human inflammatory demyelinating diseases has not been determined. Here, we report that serum Sema4A is increased in approximately one-third of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO).