Transcriptomic and clonal characterization of T cells in the human central nervous system

• Published in: Science immunology Vol. 5; no. 51
• Main Authors: Pappalardo, Jenna L, Zhang, Le, Pecsok, Maggie K, Perlman, Kelly, Zografou, Chrysoula, Raddassi, Khadir, Abulaban, Ahmad, Krishnaswamy, Smita, Antel, Jack, van Dijk, David, Hafler, David A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 18.09.2020
• Subjects: Adult; Central Nervous System - immunology; Humans; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting - blood; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting - cerebrospinal fluid; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting - genetics; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Transcriptome
• ISSN: 2470-9468
• DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abb8786

T cells provide critical immune surveillance to the central nervous system (CNS), and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is thought to be a main route for their entry. Further characterization of the state of T cells in the CSF in healthy individuals is important for understanding how T cells provide protective immune surveillance without damaging the delicate environment of the CNS and providing tissue-specific context for understanding immune dysfunction in neuroinflammatory disease. Here, we have profiled T cells in the CSF of healthy human donors and have identified signatures related to cytotoxic capacity and tissue adaptation that are further exemplified in clonally expanded CSF T cells. By comparing profiles of clonally expanded T cells obtained from the CSF of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy donors, we report that clonally expanded T cells from the CSF of patients with MS have heightened expression of genes related to T cell activation and cytotoxicity.