Acetylcholine-producing NK cells attenuate CNS inflammation via modulation of infiltrating monocytes/macrophages.

ABSTRACT: The nonneural cholinergic system of immune cells is pivotal for the maintenance of immunological homeostasis. Here we demonstrate the expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and cholinergic enzymes in murine natural killer (NK) cells. The capacity for acetylcholine synthesis by NK cells increased markedly under inflammatory conditions such as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), in which ChAT expression escalated along with the maturation of NK cells. ChAT⁺ and ChAT^- NK cells displayed distinctive features in terms of cytotoxicity and chemokine/cytokine production. Transfer of ChAT⁺ NK cells into the cerebral ventricles of CX3CR1^-/- mice reduced brain and spinal cord damage after EAE induction, and decreased the numbers of CNS-

SUBMITTER: Jiang W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5544318 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature