TAM receptor signaling dictates lesion location and clinical phenotype during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), induced by the adoptive transfer of Th17 cells, typically presents with ascending paralysis and inflammatory demyelination of the spinal cord. Brain white matter is relatively spared. Here we show that treatment of Th17 transfer recipients with a highly selective inhibitor to the TAM family of tyrosine kinase receptors results in ataxia associated with a shift of the inflammatory infiltrate to the hindbrain parenchyma. During homeostasis and preclinical EAE, hindbrain microglia express high levels of the TAM receptor Mer.

Source: Journal of Neuroimmunology - January 20, 2023 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Ashley Munie Gardner, Jeffrey R. Atkinson, Nicole M. Wilkinson, Andrew D. Jerome, Calli E. Bellinger, Andrew R. Sas, Benjamin M. Segal Source Type: research