Naïve astrocytes react to CNS-infiltrated immune cells

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by infiltration of lymphocytes that leads to myelin damage and neurodegeneration. The complex interaction between CNS-infiltrating immune cells (CNS-IIC) and astrocytes is an important contributor to the disease progression. Here, we investigate how naïve astrocytes respond to autoreactive immune cells present in the CNS at different stages of the disease. For this purpose, CNS-IICs were isolated from the spinal cords of rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis at onset, late-onset and the peak of the disease. Naïve astrocytes, isolated from the spinal cords of wild-type rat pups, responded to brief bath application of CNS-IIC by robust elevation of intracellular Ca2+ independently of the disease stage. Our data suggest that direct contact between astrocytes and CNS-IICs induces Ca2+ changes in astrocytes and points to the new aspect of cell-cell interactions in the propagation of neuroinflammatory response in CNS autoimmunity.