En. Klyushnenkova et P. Vanguri, IA EXPRESSION AND ANTIGEN PRESENTATION BY GLIA - STRAIN AND CELL-TYPE-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES AMONG RAT ASTROCYTES AND MICROGLIA, Journal of neuroimmunology, 79(2), 1997, pp. 190-201
Astrocytes from experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE)-suscepti
ble Lewis rats expressed higher levels of Interferon-gamma-inducible I
a than astrocytes from EAE-resistant Brown Norway (BN) rats, whereas B
N microglia expressed higher Ia than Lewis at both mRNA and protein le
vels. Lewis astrocytes induced proliferation of MBP-specific T cells s
elected on Lewis background as efficiently as Lewis thymocytes, wherea
s BN astrocytes were much less efficient in stimulating T cells select
ed in the presence of BN thymocytes. Microglia, irrespective of strain
, induced only weak proliferative responses of these T cells despite t
he high expression of Ia. Antigen-stimulated T cells underwent apoptos
is in the presence of microglia but not astrocytes. Thus, astrocyte-me
diated proliferation of MBP-specific T cells may contribute to the dev
elopment of EAE, while microglia-induced T cell apoptosis may downregu
late immunopathological processes in the brain. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scie
nce B.V.