Immunophenotypic characterization of CSF B cells in virus-associated neuroinflammatory diseases

• Published in: PLoS pathogens Vol. 14; no. 4; p. e1007042
• Main Authors: Enose-Akahata, Yoshimi, Azodi, Shila, Smith, Bryan R, Billioux, Bridgette Jeanne, Vellucci, Ashley, Ngouth, Nyater, Tanaka, Yuetsu, Ohayon, Joan, Cortese, Irene, Nath, Avindra, Jacobson, Steven
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 30.04.2018; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; AIDS; Analysis; B cells; Biology and Life Sciences; CD25 antigen; CD4 antigen; Central nervous system diseases; Cerebrospinal fluid; Chronic infection; Comparative analysis; Correlation; Cytokines; Demyelinating diseases; Demyelination; Development and progression; Disease; Disease control; Encephalitis; Health aspects; Hereditary spastic paraplegia; HIV; HTLV-I (Virus); Human immunodeficiency virus; Immunological memory; Immunology; Infections; Inflammation; Leukemia; Leukoencephalopathy; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes B; Lymphocytes T; Medicine and Health Sciences; Memory cells; Multiple sclerosis; Nervous system; Nervous system diseases; Neurological diseases; Neurological disorders; Patients; Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy; Spastic paraparesis; Spinal cord; Stroke; T cells; Tropical spastic paraparesis; Viral infections; Viruses; United States > US
• ISSN: 1553-7374; 1553-7366; 1553-7374
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007042

Intrathecal antibody synthesis is a well-documented phenomenon in infectious neurological diseases as well as in demyelinating diseases, but little is known about the role of B cells in the central nervous systems. We examined B cell and T cell immunophenotypes in CSF of patients with HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) compared to healthy normal donors and subjects with the other chronic virus infection and/or neuroinflammatory diseases including HIV infection, multiple sclerosis (MS) and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. Antibody secreting B cells (ASCs) were elevated in HAM/TSP patients, which was significantly correlated with intrathecal HTLV-1-specific antibody responses. High frequency of ASCs was also detected in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). While RRMS patients showed significant correlations between ASCs and memory follicular helper CD4+ T cells, CD4+CD25+ T cells were elevated in HAM/TSP patients, which were significantly correlated with ASCs and HTLV-1 proviral load. These results highlight the importance of the B cell compartment and the associated inflammatory milieu in HAM/TSP patients where virus-specific antibody production may be required to control viral persistence and/or may be associated with disease development.