Table of Contents
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most prevalent demyelinating disease of young adults accounting for 2.9 million diagnoses worldwide. This illness results in damage to the insulating layers protecting the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. This harm interferes with the nervous system’s ability to transfer messages, leading to a variety of physical, mental, and occasionally psychiatric issues as signs and symptoms. It is mostly due to inflammation caused by T cells. Many MS patients continue to deteriorate despite recent improvements in immunomodulatory therapies. We require a deeper comprehension of the immunological systems that both promote and alleviate the disease in MS in order to uncover biomarkers for customized treatment and to create better therapeutic alternatives.
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MS genes were impacted by pregnancy
Interestingly, women with MS who were pregnant seemed to experience a “disease-free period ” during the pregnancy. However during birth, this progress is interrupted, and what comes next is a brief worsening following pregnancy which follows a rapid decline in pregnancy hormones. Consequently, pregnancy and the time after it (post-partum) offer a helpful model to evaluate the patterns of immune modulation in MS.
Numerous studies have shown that peripherally activated autoreactive T cells play a critical role in MS, where CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are responsible for the onset and spread of the illness. Although the specific effects of pregnancy on CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are still largely unknown, numerous studies have previously demonstrated the participation of T cells in MS during pregnancy, which has given insight into pregnancy-associated regulation.
A new study sought to have a better understanding of these suggestions. It revealed key genes and pathways involved in T cell modulation and differentiation and discovered CD4+ and CD8+ rebound pregnancy modules that overlapped between the two omics. This was done by using a network-based approach to identify the most strongly interconnected genes.
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It was discovered that many MS-related genes, such as STAT3, IL17A, and CXCL10, and the T cell activation marker CD69, were impacted by pregnancy. It was discovered that genes known to be impacted by progesterone were considerably enriched in the pregnancy modules, pointing to major circuits of interactions between progesterone, T cells, and inflammatory activity in multiple sclerosis.
Clinical significance
The work highlights the need for additional research into therapeutic options that can imitate the pregnant environment. This could lead to better outcomes for MS patients.
Conclusion
According to research, pregnancy causes significant alterations in peripheral T lymphocytes that are linked to immunomodulation and MS activity in both MS patients and healthy controls. More research is needed to offer more value and give a deeper understanding of the subject.
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References
Zenere, A., Hellberg, S., Papapavlou Lingehed, G. et al. Prominent epigenetic and transcriptomic changes in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells during and after pregnancy in women with multiple sclerosis and controls. J Neuroinflammation 20, 98 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-023-02781-2
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