CXCR7 suppression modulates microglial chemotaxis to ameliorate experimentally-induced autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the prototypical inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), widely used as an animal model of MS, classically manifests as an ascending paralysis that is characterized by extensive infiltration of the CNS by inflammatory cells. Although several studies uncover the significant role of microglia in the development of EAE, the cellular mechanisms of microglia that govern EAE pathogenesis remain unknown. In the current study, we report that CXCR7 expression is dynamic regulated in activated microglia during CNS autoimmunity and positively correlates with the clinical severity of EAE. In addition, microglial chemotaxis is mediated by CXCR7 during CNS autoimmunity, signaling through extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 activation, whereas p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) JNK are not involved. Most importantly, CXCR7 neutralizing treatment ameliorates the clinical severity of EAE along with ERK1/2 phosphorylation reduction. Collectively, our data demonstrate that CXCR7 suppression modulates microglial chemotaxis to ameliorate EAE.