IL-15/IL-15Rα as targets for modulation of autoimmune reactions in central nervous system

Einleitung: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that is initiated by CNS-infiltrating self reactive T-cells that recognize myelin antigens. Damage of target tissue is mediated by components of the immune system (e.g.CD8+-T cells). An animal model for MS is Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice. Differentiation of CD8+-T cells is regulated by IL-15/IL-15Rα interaction. These CD8+-T cells play a dual role. On the one hand they are directly involved in CNS damage, but they also have a regulatory function. Aim of this project is to characterize IL-…