Abstract
Interactions between T helper cells and the complement system promote loss of sensory neurons in the eye.
Highlights
The cornea is likely the most densely innervated part of the human body with approximately 7,000 sensory neurons per square millimeter, making it 300 to 600 times more sensitive to stimuli than the skin (Siran et al, 2018; Cruzat et al, 2017; Gonzalez-Gonzalez et al, 2017)
The complement system is usually activated by antibodies bound to the surfaces of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria or fungi, and it self-assembles through a wellcoordinated cascade of proteolytic events
Royer et al showed that mice lacking T cells did not lose sensation in the cornea when they were infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), despite having wild-type C3 protein
Summary
The cornea is likely the most densely innervated part of the human body with approximately 7,000 sensory neurons per square millimeter, making it 300 to 600 times more sensitive to stimuli than the skin (Siran et al, 2018; Cruzat et al, 2017; Gonzalez-Gonzalez et al, 2017). Mice with a herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection in the eye stop perceiving mechanical stimuli due to nerve loss. In eLife, Derek Royer and colleagues at Duke University Medical School and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center report on the effects of complement activation on the nerves in the cornea (Royer et al, 2019).
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