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Commentary

Meningeal inflammation and multiple sclerosis

Li-Ping Liu
Departments of Pain Management and Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute and Anaesthesiology Institute, Cleveland Clinic,
Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.

Dr. Liu obtained her Ph.D. from Fudan University, Shanghai, China. She currently is a Project Scientist at
the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Dr. Liu has a record of remarkable publications in top impact
journals such as Nature Neuroscience. She is an internationally recognized scientist with the expertise in
the neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative diseases.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory between the encephalitogenic T helper 17 (Th17) cell
demyelinating disease of the central nervous system and lymphotoxin pathways contributes to the formation
(CNS). Inflammation in MS is characterized by of TLTs.
infiltration of peripheral immune cells into the
CNS, especially in the meninges. [1-4] The infiltration First, they made use of the SJL/J EAE model, which
into meninges, which has been referred to as mimics progressive MS, to investigate the location and
[7]
tertiary lymphoid tissues (TLTs), is a likely first step cellular composition of TLTs. They found that T cells
preceding infiltration into the CNS parenchyma. were the initial population in meningeal TLTs, while B
These invading autoreactive immune cells destroy cells invaded the meninges later. Based on a previous
myelin, the insulation surrounding neuronal axons, report showing the importance of Th17 cells in promoting
and cause demyelination in subpial and cortical TLTs, [6,7] they established an adoptively transferred
areas, promoting disease pathogenesis. Experimental encephalitogenic Th17 in the SJL/J EAE model. They
autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a widely used found that Th17 cells could rapidly populate, proliferate,
murine model of MS, also shares this characteristic. [5,6] and secrete cytokines in the meninges. The TLTs formed
However, what cellular components and molecular by Th17 cells and B cells were also associated with subpial
pathways support infiltrating lymphocyte retention and parenchyma demyelination, as shown by histological
and production within the meninges as well as staining. Thus the authors have established a good
[7]
further invading into the CNS parenchyma are still model (Th17 cells A/T model) for further investigation of
[7]
not clear. Pikor et al. first reported that stromal the cellular and molecular mechanisms of TLTs.
cells in the inflamed CNS meninges (TLTs) play an
important role in the neuroinflammatory process What are the roles of infiltrating Th17 cells in the
of MS. They also demonstrated that collaboration remodeling of stromal cells in the meninges? They
found that 1 out of the 4 populations of stromal cells in
Corresponding Author: Dr. Li-Ping Liu, Departments of Pain meninges, meningeal FRC-like cells [a subpopulation
Management and Neurosciences, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid
Avenue/NE60, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. Email: liul@ccf.org
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Cite this article as: Liu LP. Meningeal inflammation and multiple sclerosis.
DOI: 10.20517/2347-8659.2016.22 Neuroimmunol Neuroinflammation 2016;3:145-6.
Received: 30-04-2016; Accepted: 09-05-2016

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