Kurt Jellinger 90: his contribution to neuroimmunology

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuropathology
• Immunology

Background:

• Kurt Jellinger's extensive autopsy case collection provides invaluable resources for neuroscience research.
• Two key contributions highlight Jellinger's impact on understanding demyelinating diseases and Alzheimer's disease.
• This review celebrates Jellinger's 90th birthday and his legacy in neuropathology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To re-evaluate historical autopsy samples to identify the target antigen in a patient with MS-like disease.
• To investigate the relationship between Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology.
• To honor Kurt Jellinger's significant contributions to neuroscience and neuropathology.

Main Methods:

• Reinvestigation of historic autopsy tissue samples from 1958.
• Application of mRNA isolation, next-generation sequencing, and antibody reconstruction.
• Analysis of cortical areas in MS patients to assess Alzheimer's disease pathology.

Main Results:

• Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) was identified as the target antigen in an MS-like disease.
• This finding bridges the gap between animal models (EAE) and human demyelinating diseases.
• Alzheimer's disease pathology was found equally in demyelinated and non-demyelinated MS cortical areas, suggesting chronic inflammation alone does not predispose to AD.

Conclusions:

• The identification of MOG advances our understanding of inflammatory demyelinating diseases and their human relevance.
• Chronic inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis does not significantly increase the risk for developing cortical Alzheimer's disease pathology.
• Kurt Jellinger's meticulously documented case collection continues to drive translational neuroscience research.