Aged hind-limb clasping experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis models aspects of the neurodegenerative process seen in multiple sclerosis.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the most common model of multiple sclerosis (MS). This model has been instrumental in understanding the events that lead to the initiation of central nervous system (CNS) autoimmunity. Though EAE has been an effective screening tool for identifying novel therapies for relapsing-remitting MS, it has proven to be less successful in identifying therapies for progressive forms of this disease. Though axon injury occurs in EAE, it is rapid and acute, making it difficult to intervene for the purpose of evaluating neuroprotective therapies. Here, we describe a variant of spontaneous EAE in the 2D2 T cell receptor transgenic mouse (2D2+ mouse) that presents with hind-limb clasping upon tail suspension and is associated with T cell-mediated inflammation in the posterior spinal cord and spinal nerve roots. Due to the mild nature of clinical signs in this model, we were able to maintain cohorts of mice into middle age. Over 9 mo, these mice exhibited a relapsing-remitting course of hind-limb clasping with the development of progressive motor deficits. Using a combined approach of ex vivo magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and histopathological analysis, we observed neurological progression to associate with spinal cord atrophy, synapse degradation, and neuron loss in the gray matter, as well as ongoing axon injury in the white matter of the spinal cord. These findings suggest that mild EAE coupled with natural aging may be a solution to better modeling the neurodegenerative processes seen in MS.

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-δ Acts within Peripheral Myeloid Cells to Limit Th Cell Priming during Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-δ is a fatty acid-activated transcription factor that regulates metabolic homeostasis, cell growth, and differentiation. Previously, we reported that mice with a global deficiency of PPAR-δ develop an exacerbated course of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), highlighting a role for this nuclear receptor in limiting the development of CNS inflammation. However, the cell-specific contribution of PPAR-δ to the more severe CNS inflammatory response remained unclear. In this study, we studied the specific involvement of PPAR-δ in myeloid cells during EAE using mice that had Cre-mediated excision of floxed Ppard driven by the lysozyme M (LysM) promoter (LysM Cre :Ppard fl/fl). We observed that LysM Cre :Ppard fl/fl mice were more susceptible to EAE and developed a more severe course of this disease compared with Ppard fl/fl controls. The more severe EAE in LysM Cre :Ppard fl/fl mice was associated with an increased accumulation of pathogenic CD4+ T cells in the CNS and enhanced myelin-specific Th1 and Th17 responses in the periphery. Adoptive transfer EAE studies linked this EAE phenotype in LysM Cre :Ppard fl/fl mice to heightened Th responses. Furthermore, studies using an in vitro CD11b+ cell:Th cell coculture system revealed that CD11b+CD11c+ dendritic cells (DC) from LysM Cre :Ppard fl/fl mice had a heightened capacity to prime myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-specific Th cells compared with Ppard fl/fl counterparts; the effects of DC on Th1 cytokine production were mediated through production of the IL-12p40 homodimer. These studies revealed a role for PPAR-δ in DC in limiting Th cell priming during EAE.

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-δ Supports the Metabolic Requirements of Cell Growth in TCRß-Selected Thymocytes and Peripheral CD4+ T Cells.

During T cell development, progenitor thymocytes undergo a large proliferative burst immediately following successful TCRß rearrangement, and defects in genes that regulate this proliferation have a profound effect on thymus cellularity and output. Although the signaling pathways that initiate cell cycling and nutrient uptake after TCRß selection are understood, less is known about the transcriptional programs that regulate the metabolic machinery to promote biomass accumulation during this process. In this article, we report that mice with whole body deficiency in the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-δ (PPARδmut) exhibit a reduction in spleen and thymus cellularity, with a decrease in thymocyte cell number starting at the double-negative 4 stage of thymocyte development. Although in vivo DNA synthesis was normal in PPARδmut thymocytes, studies in the OP9-delta-like 4 in vitro system of differentiation revealed that PPARδmut double-negative 3 cells underwent fewer cell divisions. Naive CD4+ T cells from PPARδmut mice also exhibited reduced proliferation upon TCR and CD28 stimulation in vitro. Growth defects in PPAR-δ-deficient thymocytes and peripheral CD4+ T cells correlated with decreases in extracellular acidification rate, mitochondrial reserve, and expression of a host of genes involved in glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, and lipogenesis. By contrast, mice with T cell-restricted deficiency of Ppard starting at the double-positive stage of thymocyte development, although exhibiting defective CD4+ T cell growth, possessed a normal T cell compartment, pointing to developmental defects as a cause of peripheral T cell lymphopenia in PPARδmut mice. These findings implicate PPAR-δ as a regulator of the metabolic program during thymocyte and T cell growth.

Inhibitors of protein arginine deiminases and their efficacy in animal models of multiple sclerosis.

Protein arginine deiminases (PAD) are implicated in a variety of inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS). Following the discovery of an in silico hit containing hydantoin and a piperidine moiety, we hypothesized that a 2-carbon linker on the hydantoin would be necessary for a 5-membered heterocycle for optimal PAD inhibitory activity. We designed thirteen compounds as potential inhibitors of PAD2 and PAD4 enzymes-two important PAD enzymes implicated in MS. Two compounds, one with an imidazole moiety (22) and the other with a tetrazole moiety (24) showed good inhibition of PAD isozymes in vitro and in the EAE mouse model of MS in vivo. Further experiments suggested that compound 22, a non-covalent inhibitor of PAD2 and PAD4, exhibits dose-dependent efficacy in the EAE mouse model and in the cuprizone-mediated demyelination model.

Antagonizing Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor α Activity Selectively Enhances Th1 Immunity in Male Mice.

Females exhibit more robust Th1 responses than males. Our previous work suggested that this sex disparity is a consequence of higher activity of the androgen-induced gene peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) in male CD4(+) T cells. The objective of this study was to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanism of how PPARα inhibits Th1 responses in male mice. In this study, we found that PPARα functions within CD4(+) and CD8(+) T lymphocytes and NKT cells to negatively regulate IFN-γ responses in male mice and identified Ifng as the gene target of PPARα repression. Treatment of male CD4(+) T cells with the PPARα agonist fenofibrate induced the recruitment of PPARα and the nuclear receptor-interacting protein, nuclear receptor corepressor 1, to specific cis-regulatory elements in the Ifng locus. This recruitment associated with reduced histone acetylation at these sites. Knockdown of nuclear receptor corepressor 1 in primary male T cells abolished the effect of fenofibrate in reducing IFN-γ production. In contrast, treatment of male T cells with IS001, a novel antagonist of PPARα, increased Ifng gene expression and histone acetylation across the Ifng locus. Finally, we investigated the effects of IS001 on IFN-γ responses in mice during infection with the Th1-associated pathogen Listeria monocytogenes and observed that IS001 enhanced IFN-γ production by NKT, CD4(+), and CD8(+) T cells and improved the survival of male, but not female, mice. Our findings provide a novel mechanism of why IFN-γ responses are more robust in females and introduce a small-molecule IS001 that can be used to enhance Th1 immunity in males.

Puberty in females enhances the risk of an outcome of multiple sclerosis in children and the development of central nervous system autoimmunity in mice.

BACKGROUND: For reasons that remain unclear, three times more women develop multiple sclerosis (MS) than men. This preponderance among women is evident only after 12 years of age, implicating pubertal factors in the risk of MS. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of female puberty on central nervous system (CNS) autoimmunity. METHODS: We examined the relationship between age of menarche on MS outcomes in 116 female children (< 16 years old) whom presented with incident 'acquired demyelinating syndromes' (ADS) and were followed prospectively in the national Canadian Pediatric Demyelinating Disease Study, from 2004-2013. Furthermore, we directly investigated the effects of puberty on susceptibility to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in two groups of female mice that differed only in their pubertal status. RESULTS: In the ADS children, a later age of menarche was associated with a decreased risk of subsequent MS diagnosis. This relationship persisted, after accounting for patient age at ADS presentation and the presence of ≥1 T2 lesions on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.64; and additional factors that associate with MS outcomes in ADS children, including low vitamin D levels. Furthermore, we found female mice that had transitioned through puberty were more susceptible to EAE than age-matched, pre-pubertal mice. CONCLUSION: Puberty in females enhances CNS autoimmune mechanisms that lead to MS in humans and EAE in mice.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)α and -γ regulate IFNγ and IL-17A production by human T cells in a sex-specific way.

Women develop certain autoimmune diseases more often than men. It has been hypothesized that this may relate to the development of more robust T-helper (Th)1 responses in women. To test whether women exhibit a Th1 bias, we isolated naïve cluster of differentiation (CD)4(+) T cells from peripheral blood of healthy women and men and measured the proliferation and cytokine production by these cells in response to submaximal amounts of anti-CD3 and anti-CD28. We observed that CD4(+) T cells from women produced higher levels of IFNγ as well as tended to proliferate more than male CD4(+) T cells. Intriguingly, male CD4(+) T cells instead had a predilection toward IL-17A production. This sex dichotomy in Th cytokine production was found to be even more striking in the Swiss/Jackson Laboratory (SJL) mouse. Studies in mice and humans indicated that the sexual dimorphism in Th1 and Th17 cytokine production was dependent on the androgen status and the T-cell expression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR)α and PPARγ. Androgens increased PPARα and decreased PPARγ expression by human CD4(+) T cells. PPARα siRNA-mediated knockdown had the effect of increasing IFNγ by male CD4(+) T cells, while transfection of CD4(+) T cells with PPARγ siRNAs increased IL-17A production uniquely by female T cells. Together, our observations indicate that human T cells exhibit a sex difference in the production of IFNγ and IL-17A that may be driven by expressions of PPARα and PPARγ.

Neither T-helper type 2 nor Foxp3+ regulatory T cells are necessary for therapeutic benefit of atorvastatin in treatment of central nervous system autoimmunity.

Oral atorvastatin has prevented or reversed paralysis in the multiple sclerosis (MS) model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), and reduced development of new MS lesions in clinical trials. Besides inhibiting development of encephalitogenic T cells, atorvastatin treatment of EAE has been associated with an induction of anti-inflammatory myelin-reactive T-helper type (Th)-2 cells. To investigate the clinical significance of atorvastatin-mediated Th2 differentiation, we first evaluated atorvastatin treatment in interleukin (IL)-4 green fluorescent protein-enhanced transcript (4-GET) reporter mice. Atorvastatin treatment failed to induce IL-4-producing Th2 cells in vivo; however, when T cells from atorvastatin-treated 4-GET mice were reactivated in vitro, T cells preferentially differentiated into Th2 cells, while antigen-specific T-cell proliferation and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines (interferon gamma, IL-17, tumor necrosis factor and IL-12) were reduced. Oral atorvastatin also prevented or reversed EAE in signal transducer and activator of transcription 6-deficient (STAT6-/-) mice, which cannot generate IL-4-producing Th2 cells. Further, atorvastatin treatment did not induce or expand Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in either wild-type or STAT6-/- mice. In vivo proliferation of T cells, as measured by incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine, was inhibited in atorvastatin-treated wild-type and STAT6-/- mice. These data imply that atorvastatin ameliorates central nervous system autoimmune disease primarily by inhibiting proliferation of proinflammatory encephalitogenic T cells, and not simply through induction of anti-inflammatory Th2 cells. This cytostatic effect may be a relevant mechanism of action when considering use of statins in MS and other inflammatory conditions.

Type II monocytes modulate T cell-mediated central nervous system autoimmune disease.

Treatment with glatiramer acetate (GA, copolymer-1, Copaxone), a drug approved for multiple sclerosis (MS), in a mouse model promoted development of anti-inflammatory type II monocytes, characterized by increased secretion of interleukin (IL)-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, and decreased production of IL-12 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). This anti-inflammatory cytokine shift was associated with reduced STAT-1 signaling. Type II monocytes directed differentiation of T(H)2 cells and CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (T(reg)) independent of antigen specificity. Type II monocyte-induced regulatory T cells specific for a foreign antigen ameliorated experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), indicating that neither GA specificity nor recognition of self-antigen was required for their therapeutic effect. Adoptive transfer of type II monocytes reversed EAE, suppressed T(H)17 cell development and promoted both T(H)2 differentiation and expansion of T(reg) cells in recipient mice. This demonstration of adoptive immunotherapy by type II monocytes identifies a central role for these cells in T cell immune modulation of autoimmunity.

Mechanisms and consequences of sex differences in immune responses.

Biological sex differences refer to differences between males and females caused by the sex chromosome complement (that is, XY or XX), reproductive tissues (that is, the presence of testes or ovaries), and concentrations of sex steroids (that is, testosterone or oestrogens and progesterone). Although these sex differences are binary for most human individuals and mice, transgender individuals receiving hormone therapy, individuals with genetic syndromes (for example, Klinefelter and Turner syndromes) and people with disorders of sexual development reflect the diversity in sex-based biology. The broad distribution of sex steroid hormone receptors across diverse cell types and the differential expression of X-linked and autosomal genes means that sex is a biological variable that can affect the function of all physiological systems, including the immune system. Sex differences in immune cell function and immune responses to foreign and self antigens affect the development and outcome of diverse diseases and immune responses.

Scoring Central Nervous System Inflammation, Demyelination, and Axon Injury in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a common immune-based model of multiple sclerosis (MS). This disease can be induced in rodents by active immunization with protein components of the myelin sheath and Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) or by the transfer of myelin-specific T effector cells from rodents primed with myelin protein/CFA into naïve rodents. The severity of EAE is typically scored on a 5-point clinical scale that measures the degree of ascending paralysis, but this scale is not optimal for assessing the extent of recovery from EAE. For example, clinical scores remain high in some EAE models (e.g., myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein [MOG] peptide-induced model of EAE) despite the resolution of inflammation. Thus, it is important to complement clinical scoring with histological scoring of EAE, which also provides a means to study the underlying mechanisms of cellular injury in the central nervous system (CNS). Here, a simple protocol is presented to prepare and stain spinal cord and brain sections from mice and to score inflammation, demyelination, and axonal injury in the spinal cord. The method for scoring leukocyte infiltration in the spinal cord can also be applied to score brain inflammation in EAE. A protocol for measuring soluble neurofilament light (sNF-L) in the serum of mice using a Small Molecule Assay (SIMOA) assay is also described, which provides feedback on the extent of overall CNS injury in live mice.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)alpha expression in T cells mediates gender differences in development of T cell-mediated autoimmunity.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)alpha is a nuclear receptor that mediates gender differences in lipid metabolism. PPARalpha also functions to control inflammatory responses by repressing the activity of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) and c-jun in immune cells. Because PPARalpha is situated at the crossroads of gender and immune regulation, we hypothesized that this gene may mediate sex differences in the development of T cell-mediated autoimmune disease. We show that PPARalpha is more abundant in male as compared with female CD4(+) cells and that its expression is sensitive to androgen levels. Genetic ablation of this gene selectively removed the brake on NF-kappaB and c-jun activity in male T lymphocytes, resulting in higher production of interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor (but not interleukin 17), and lower production of T helper (Th)2 cytokines. Upon induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, male but not female PPARalpha(-/-) mice developed more severe clinical signs that were restricted to the acute phase of disease. These results suggest that males are less prone to develop Th1-mediated autoimmunity because they have higher T cell expression of PPARalpha.

Piet Mondrian's trees and the evolution in understanding multiple sclerosis, Charcot Prize Lecture 2011.

Four questions were posed about multiple sclerosis (MS) at the 2011 Charcot Lecture, Oct. 22, 2011. 1. The Male/Female Disparity: Why are women developing MS so much more frequently than men? 2. Neuronal and Glial Protection: Are there guardian molecules that protect the nervous system in MS? 3. Predictive Medicine: With all the approved drugs, how can we rationally decide which one to use? 4. The Precise Scalpel vs. the Big Hammer for Therapy: Is antigen-specific therapy for demyelinating disease possible? To emphasize how our views on the pathogenesis and treatment of MS are evolving, and given the location of the talk in Amsterdam, Piet Mondrian's progressive interpretations of trees serve as a heuristic.

Immune Cell Contributors to the Female Sex Bias in Multiple Sclerosis and Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, autoimmune, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that leads to axonal damage and accumulation of disability. Relapsing-remitting MS (RR-MS) is the most frequent presentation of MS and this form of MS is three times more prevalent in females than in males. This female bias in MS is apparent only after puberty, suggesting a role for sex hormones in this regulation; however, very little is known of the biological mechanisms that underpin the sex difference in MS onset. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an animal model of RR-MS that presents more severely in females in certain mouse strains and thus has been useful to study sex differences in CNS autoimmunity. Here, we overview the immunopathogenesis of MS and EAE and how immune mechanisms in these diseases differ between a male and female. We further describe how females exhibit more robust myelin-specific T helper (Th) 1 immunity in MS and EAE and how this sex bias in Th cells is conveyed by sex hormone effects on the T cells, antigen presenting cells, regulatory T cells, and innate lymphoid cell populations.

Potential biological contributers to the sex difference in multiple sclerosis progression.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disease that targets the myelin sheath of central nervous system (CNS) neurons leading to axon injury, neuronal death, and neurological progression. Though women are more highly susceptible to developing MS, men that develop this disease exhibit greater cognitive impairment and accumulate disability more rapidly than women. Magnetic resonance imaging and pathology studies have revealed that the greater neurological progression seen in males correlates with chronic immune activation and increased iron accumulation at the rims of chronic white matter lesions as well as more intensive whole brain and grey matter atrophy and axon loss. Studies in humans and in animal models of MS suggest that male aged microglia do not have a higher propensity for inflammation, but may become more re-active at the rim of white matter lesions as a result of the presence of pro-inflammatory T cells, greater astrocyte activation or iron release from oligodendrocytes in the males. There is also evidence that remyelination is more efficient in aged female than aged male rodents and that male neurons are more susceptible to oxidative and nitrosative stress. Both sex chromosome complement and sex hormones contribute to these sex differences in biology.

Interferon and interferon-induced cytokines as markers of impending clinical progression in ANA+ individuals without a systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Elevated levels of interferons (IFNs) are a characteristic feature of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) and may be useful in predicting impending symptomatic progression in anti-nuclear antibody-positive (ANA+) individuals lacking a SARD diagnosis. Typically, these are measured by their effect on gene expression in the blood, which has limited their utility in clinical settings. Here, we assessed whether the measurement of serum IFN-α or selected IFN-induced cytokines accurately mirrors IFN-induced gene expression in ANA+ individuals and investigated their utility as biomarkers of clinical progression. METHODS: A total of 280 subjects were studied, including 50 ANA- healthy controls, 160 ANA+ individuals without a SARD diagnosis (96 asymptomatic, 64 with undifferentiated connective tissue disease), and 70 SARD patients. IFN-induced gene expression was measured by nanoString and cytokine levels by ELISA or Simoa. ANA+ individuals lacking a SARD diagnosis who had the new onset of SARD criteria over the subsequent 2 years were defined as progressors. RESULTS: Measurement of IFN-α levels by high-sensitivity ELISA or Simoa correlated much better with IFN-induced gene expression than measurement of CXCL-10 or Galectin-9 levels. Despite this, high CXCL-10 and Galectin-9 levels were better predictors of subsequent progression in ANA+ individuals than measures of IFN-α or IFN-induced gene expression with the optimal combination of predictive cytokines (CXCL-10 and IFN-α as measured by ELISA), resulting in a specificity and positive predictive value of 100%. CONCLUSION: Easily performed ELISA assays for CXCL-10 and IFN-α can be used to predict ANA+ individuals at high risk of imminent symptomatic progression.

Isoprenoids determine Th1/Th2 fate in pathogenic T cells, providing a mechanism of modulation of autoimmunity by atorvastatin.

3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase is a critical enzyme in the mevalonate pathway that regulates the biosynthesis of cholesterol as well as isoprenoids that mediate the membrane association of certain GTPases. Blockade of this enzyme by atorvastatin (AT) inhibits the destructive proinflammatory T helper cell (Th)1 response during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and may be beneficial in the treatment of multiple sclerosis and other Th1-mediated autoimmune diseases. Here we present evidence linking specific isoprenoid intermediates of the mevalonate pathway to signaling pathways that regulate T cell autoimmunity. We demonstrate that the isoprenoid geranylgeranyl-pyrophosphate (GGPP) mediates proliferation, whereas both GGPP and its precursor, farnesyl-PP, regulate the Th1 differentiation of myelin-reactive T cells. Depletion of these isoprenoid intermediates in vivo via oral AT administration hindered these T cell responses by decreasing geranylgeranylated RhoA and farnesylated Ras at the plasma membrane. This was associated with reduced extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 phosphorylation and DNA binding of their cotarget c-fos in response to T cell receptor activation. Inhibition of ERK and p38 mimicked the effects of AT and induced a Th2 cytokine shift. Thus, by connecting isoprenoid availability to regulation of Th1/Th2 fate, we have elucidated a mechanism by which AT may suppress Th1-mediated central nervous system autoimmune disease.

Effect of puberty on the immune system: Relevance to multiple sclerosis.

Puberty is a dynamic period marked by changing levels of sex hormones, the development of secondary sexual characteristics and reproductive maturity. This period has profound effects on various organ systems, including the immune system. The critical changes that occur in the immune system during pubertal onset have been shown to have implications for autoimmune conditions, including Multiple Sclerosis (MS). MS is rare prior to puberty but can manifest in children after puberty. This disease also has a clear female preponderance that only arises following pubertal onset, highlighting a potential role for sex hormones in autoimmunity. Early onset of puberty has also been shown to be a risk factor for MS. The purpose of this review is to overview the evidence that puberty regulates MS susceptibility and disease activity. Given that there is a paucity of studies that directly evaluate the effects of puberty on the immune system, we also discuss how the immune system is different in children and mice of pre- vs. post-pubertal ages and describe how gonadal hormones may regulate these immune mechanisms. We present evidence that puberty enhances the expression of co-stimulatory molecules and cytokine production by type 2 dendritic cells (DC2s) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), increases T helper 1 (Th1), Th17, and T follicular helper immunity, and promotes immunoglobulin (Ig)G antibody production. Overall, this review highlights how the immune system undergoes a functional maturation during puberty, which has the potential to explain the higher prevalence of MS and other autoimmune diseases seen in adolescence.

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-δ Deficiency in Microglia Results in Exacerbated Axonal Injury and Tissue Loss in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-δ is a nuclear receptor that functions to maintain metabolic homeostasis, regulate cell growth, and limit the development of excessive inflammation during immune responses. Previously, we reported that PPAR-δ-deficient mice develop a more severe clinical course of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE); however, it was difficult to delineate the role that microglia played in this disease phenotype since PPAR-δ-deficient mice exhibited a number of immune defects that enhanced CNS inflammation upstream of microglia activation. Here, we specifically investigated the role of PPAR-δ in microglia during EAE by using mice where excision of a floxed Ppard allele was driven by expression of a tamoxifen (TAM)-inducible CX3C chemokine receptor 1 promoter-Cre recombinase transgene (Cx3cr1CreERT2: Ppardfl/fl). We observed that by 30 days of TAM treatment, Cx3cr1CreERT2: Ppardfl/fl mice exhibited Cre-mediated deletion primarily in microglia and this was accompanied by efficient knockdown of Ppard expression in these cells. Upon induction of EAE, TAM-treated Cx3cr1CreERT2: Ppardfl/fl mice presented with an exacerbated course of disease compared to TAM-treated Ppardfl/fl controls. Histopathological and magnetic resonance (MR) studies on the spinal cord and brains of EAE mice revealed increased Iba-1 immunoreactivity, axonal injury and CNS tissue loss in the TAM-treated Cx3cr1CreERT2: Ppardfl/fl group compared to controls. In early EAE, a time when clinical scores and the infiltration of CD45+ leukocytes was equivalent between Cx3cr1CreERT2: Ppardfl/fl and Ppardfl/fl mice, Ppard-deficient microglia exhibited a more reactive phenotype as evidenced by a shorter maximum process length and lower expression of genes associated with a homeostatic microglia gene signature. In addition, Ppard-deficient microglia exhibited increased expression of genes associated with reactive oxygen species generation, phagocytosis and lipid clearance, M2-activation, and promotion of inflammation. Our results therefore suggest that PPAR-δ has an important role in microglia in limiting bystander tissue damage during neuroinflammation.

Cystatin C Plays a Sex-Dependent Detrimental Role in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.

The cysteine protease inhibitor Cystatin C (CST3) is highly expressed in the brains of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and C57BL/6J mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE; a model of MS), but its roles in the diseases are unknown. Here, we show that CST3 plays a detrimental function in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 (MOG35-55)-induced EAE but only in female animals. Female Cst3 null mice display significantly lower clinical signs of disease compared to wild-type (WT) littermates. This difference is associated with reduced interleukin-6 production and lower expression of key proteins (CD80, CD86, major histocompatibility complex [MHC] II, LC3A/B) involved in antigen processing, presentation, and co-stimulation in antigen-presenting cells (APCs). In contrast, male WT and Cst3-/- mice and cells show no differences in EAE signs or APC function. Further, the sex-dependent effect of CST3 in EAE is sensitive to gonadal hormones. Altogether, we have shown that CST3 has a sex-dependent role in MOG35-55-induced EAE.