Kipp, L. B. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2026

EBV reprograms autoreactive B cells as antigen presenting cells in multiple sclerosis

Summary paragraphMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease targeting the central nervous system (CNS). MS develops almost exclusively in individuals previously infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)1, yet the mechanisms linking EBV infection to MS pathogenesis remain incompletely defined. Here we characterized EBV-infected B cells in MS and demonstrated that EBV directly infects autoreactive anti-CNS antigen B cells and reprograms them into pro-inflammatory antigen-presenting cells (APCs). EBV B cells in MS were enriched within the CD27CD21low memory B-cell subset and exhibited upregulated B cell activation and APC transcriptional programs. Recombinant antibodies derived from MS blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) EBV B cells bound brain tissue, and several cross-bound both MS-associated autoantigens and Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA1). In vitro, EBV B cells functioned as APCs that stimulated T peripheral helper cells, with associated activation of EBV- anti-CNS antigen B cells. Collectively, these findings support a mechanistic framework in which EBV infects and transcriptionally reprograms autoreactive anti-CNS antigen B cells into APCs that drive pathogenic anti-CNS antigen T cell and EBV- B cell responses in MS.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2024

Single-Cell Peripheral Immunoprofiling of Lewy Body Disease in a Multi-site Cohort

Studies implicated peripheral organs involvement in the development of Lewy body disease (LBD), a spectrum of neurodegenerative diagnoses that include Parkinsons Disease (PD) without or with dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). This study characterized peripheral immune responses unique to LBD at single-cell resolution. Peripheral mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples were collected from sites across the U.S. The diagnosis groups comprise healthy controls (HC, n=164), LBD (n=132), Alzheimers disease dementia (ADD, n=98), other neurodegenerative disease controls (NDC, n=21), and immune disease controls (IDC, n=14). PBMCs were activated with three stimulants, stained by surface and intracellular signal markers, and analyzed by flow cytometry, generating 1,184 immune features. Our model classified LBD from HC with an AUROC of 0.90{+/-}0.06. The same model distinguished LBD from ADD, NDC, IDC, or other common conditions associated with LBD. Model predictions were driven by pPLC{gamma}2, p38, and pSTAT5 signals from specific cell populations and activations.

neuroscience↗