The Sympathetic Nervous System Is Necessary for Development of CD4+ T-Cell Memory Following Staphylococcus aureus...

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Neuroscience
• Infectious Disease

Background:

• Lymph nodes and spleens possess sympathetic nerve fibers entering with arteries.
• The precise role of these sympathetic nerves in immune responses to infection is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of sympathetic nerve fibers in the development of immune memory following Staphylococcus aureus infection.

Main Methods:

• Chemical depletion of sympathetic nerve fibers in mice.
• Assessment of immune responses, including innate immunity, germinal center formation, antibody production, and T-cell memory, after Staphylococcus aureus infection in nerve-depleted and control mice.

Main Results:

• Sympathetic nerve depletion did not affect innate control of the primary Staphylococcus aureus infection.
• Germinal center formation was compromised in nerve-depleted mice.
• While protective antibody responses were still generated, protective CD4+ T-cell memory failed to develop in the absence of sympathetic nerves.

Conclusions:

• Sympathetic nerve fibers are essential for establishing protective immune memory, particularly CD4+ T-cell memory, after Staphylococcus aureus infection.
• The findings highlight a critical link between the nervous and immune systems in controlling infection outcomes.