Do natural killer cells accelerate or prevent autoimmunity in multiple sclerosis?
Center for Immunology and Immune Diseases The Rockefeller University, Box 390, 1230 York Avenue New York, NY 10021-6399 USA Correspondence to: E-mail: jlunemann{at}rockefeller.edu’ + u + ‘@’ + d + ”//–> In an attempt to identify biomarkers, which are able to better characterize the phenotypic heterogeneity of multiple sclerosis, and at the same time dissect disease-relevant mechanisms of this autoimmune disease, de Jager and colleagues (2008) determined flow cytometric profiles of circulating blood cells from untreated patients with clinically isolated demyelinating syndrome (CIS) and relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS) in comparison to healthy volunteers. Profiles were generated using a panel of 50 monoclonal antibodies which primarily targeted lymphocyte populations and were distributed amongst 56 pools of four antibodies each. The key finding of this discovery-based study was that a population of CD8dimCD4– cells was reduced in frequency in both RR-MS and CIS patients.
