Myelin autoantigen-specific T cell

Myelin autoantigen-specific T cells are a specialized population of T lymphocytes that erroneously recognize and respond to proteins within the myelin sheath of the central nervous system, such as myelin basic protein (MBP), proteolipid protein (PLP), and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) (National MS Society, 2023). In healthy individuals, these cells are typically regulated or deleted during development, but in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), they become activated and migrate across the blood-brain barrier (NINDS, 2024). Once inside the central nervous system, they orchestrate an inflammatory response by secreting pro-inflammatory cytokines like IFN-γ and IL-17, which leads to the destruction of myelin and subsequent axonal damage (PubMed, PMID: 31209223). Therapeutic strategies targeting these cells aim to either prevent their entry into the brain, sequester them in peripheral lymphoid organs, or induce antigen-specific tolerance (Nature Reviews Immunology, 2020). Modern 'inverse vaccines' and tolerizing therapies, such as ANK-700, are designed to reprogram these autoreactive cells into a regulatory or anergic state, potentially offering a way to treat MS without the side effects of broad immunosuppression (Anokion, 2024).

Other names

Myelin-reactive T cellAutoreactive T cellEncephalitogenic T cellMyelin-specific T lymphocyte

Induction of immune tolerance through anergy or deletion of autoreactive clones, inhibition of T-cell trafficking across the blood-brain barrier, and sequestration of lymphocytes in peripheral lymph nodes.