Astrocytes lure CXCR2-expressing CD4+ T cells to gray matter via TAK1-mediated chemokine production in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease characterized by demyelination and neuronal damage. While T cells are consistently detected in the gray matter of human MS samples, they are rarely seen in the gray matter of the most common mouse model of MS. Here, we show a modified mouse model that is characterized by a high degree of neuronal damage, T cell infiltration, and reactive gliosis in spinal cord gray matter. Using conditional knockout mice, we show that T cell migration to spinal cord gray matter depends on T cell expression of CXCR2 and astrocyte expression of TAK1-mediated chemokines such as CXCL1.

Read more: https://www.pnas.org/content/118/8/e2017213118.short