德国海德堡大学Lucas Schirmer等研究人员合作发现，细胞类型图谱揭示皮层下多发性硬化病灶中的组织小环境和细胞间相互作用。2024年11月5日，《自然—神经科学》杂志在线发表了这项成果。

研究人员利用来自皮层下多发性硬化（MS）及对应对照组织的单核和空间转录组学数据，绘制了细胞类型及其相关通路在病灶和非病灶区域的分布图谱。研究人员识别出了一些微环境，如围血管间隙、发炎的病灶边缘或病灶核心，这些区域与胶质疤痕及一种形成纤毛的星形胶质细胞亚型相关。

通过聚焦于慢性活动性病灶的发炎边缘，研究人员揭示了髓样细胞、内皮细胞和胶质细胞类型之间的细胞-细胞通讯事件。这些结果为MS病灶进展过程中，从稳态到功能失调状态转变中的组织微环境细胞组成、多细胞程序和细胞间通信提供了新的见解。

据悉，MS是一种慢性中枢神经系统炎症性疾病。炎症逐渐被分隔并局限于特定的组织微环境，如病灶边缘。然而，这些微环境的精确细胞类型组成、它们的相互作用以及慢性活动期和非活动期之间的变化仍未完全理解。

附：英文原文

Title: Cell type mapping reveals tissue niches and interactions in subcortical multiple sclerosis lesions

Author: Lerma-Martin, Celia, Badia-i-Mompel, Pau, Ramirez Flores, Ricardo O., Sekol, Patricia, Schfer, Philipp S. L., Riedl, Christian J., Hofmann, Annika, Thwel, Thomas, Wnnemann, Florian, Ibarra-Arellano, Miguel A., Trobisch, Tim, Eisele, Philipp, Schapiro, Denis, Haeussler, Maximilian, Hametner, Simon, Saez-Rodriguez, Julio, Schirmer, Lucas

Issue&Volume: 2024-11-05

Abstract: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Inflammation is gradually compartmentalized and restricted to specific tissue niches such as the lesion rim. However, the precise cell type composition of such niches, their interactions and changes between chronic active and inactive stages are incompletely understood. We used single-nucleus and spatial transcriptomics from subcortical MS and corresponding control tissues to map cell types and associated pathways to lesion and nonlesion areas. We identified niches such as perivascular spaces, the inflamed lesion rim or the lesion core that are associated with the glial scar and a cilia-forming astrocyte subtype. Focusing on the inflamed rim of chronic active lesions, we uncovered cell–cell communication events between myeloid, endothelial and glial cell types. Our results provide insight into the cellular composition, multicellular programs and intercellular communication in tissue niches along the conversion from a homeostatic to a dysfunctional state underlying lesion progression in MS.

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01796-z

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01796-z