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Comment
. 2018 Jul 5;23(1):5-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2018.06.016.

Th17 Cells in Parkinson's Disease: The Bane of the Midbrain

Ashley C Bolte  1 , John R Lukens  2
Affiliations
Comment

Th17 Cells in Parkinson's Disease: The Bane of the Midbrain

Ashley C Bolte et al. Cell Stem Cell. .

Abstract

Emerging data implicate potential roles for T cells in Parkinson's disease (PD); however, direct evidence for human T cells in PD-associated neurodegeneration has been lacking. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Sommer et al. (2018) demonstrate that IL-17-producing T cells from sporadic PD patients promote cell death of patient iPSC-derived midbrain neurons.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Mechanisms underlying T cell-mediated neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease.
A) IL-17-producing CD4+ T cells (Th17 cells) isolated from Parkinson’s disease patients provoke midbrain neurons to undergo cell death. Engagement of the IL-17 receptor (IL-17R) on neurons causes altered NF-κB activation and subsequent neurodegeneration. The ability of microglia and astrocytes to modify Th17 cell-induced neuronal cell death requires further investigation. B) IFN-γ production and secreted factors produced by activated microglia promote aberrant upregulation of MHC class I expression by catecholaminergic neurons. This induction of antigen presentation by MHC class I on neurons can trigger activation of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells capable of killing neurons.
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