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Updated: Feb 28, 2026
An Ex vivo Model of an Oligodendrocyte-directed T-Cell Attack in Acute Brain Slices
Published on: February 5, 2015
B cells from patients with multiple sclerosis induce cell death via apoptosis in neurons in vitro
Robert P Lisak1, Liljana Nedelkoska2, Joyce A Benjamins1
1Department of Neurology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
Abstract:
B cells mediate multiple sclerosis (MS) pathogenesis by mechanisms unrelated to immunoglobulin (Ig). We reported that supernatants (Sup) from cultured B cells from blood of relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) patients, but not normal controls (NC), were cytotoxic to rat oligodendrocytes (OL). We now show that RRMS blood B cells, not stimulated in vitro, secrete factor/s toxic to rat and human neurons. Cytotoxicity is independent of Ig and multiple cytokines, not complement-mediated, and involves apoptosis. The factor/s have an apparent mw of >300kDa. B cells could contribute to damage within the central nervous system by secreting molecules toxic to OL and neurons.
