Endogenous self-peptides guard immune privilege of the central nervous system.

ABSTRACT: Despite the presence of strategically positioned anatomical barriers designed to protect the central nervous system (CNS), it is not entirely isolated from the immune system^1,2. In fact, it remains physically connected to, and can be influenced by, the peripheral immune system¹. How the CNS retains such responsiveness while maintaining an immunologically unique status remains an outstanding question. Here, in searching for molecular cues that derive from the CNS and enable its direct communication with the immune system, we identified an endogenous repertoire of CNS-derived regulatory self-peptides presented on major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) molecules in the CNS and at its borders. During homeostasis, these regulatory self-peptides were found to be

SUBMITTER: Kim MW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11666455 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature