Immune cells linked to neurological disease prognosis and survival


Date:
March 15, 2022
Source:
eLife
Summary:
Immune cells could help predict the prognosis of patients with
the rare neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS),
says a new study.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Immune cells could help predict the prognosis of patients with the rare neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), says a study published today in eLife.


==========================================================================
The findings suggest that measuring changes in immune cell populations may
help physicians monitor the status of patients with ALS. They also hint
at a protective role that some immune cells might play in the disease,
while others speed up disease progression. These new insights could help scientists find novel ways to treat ALS.

There are currently no effective treatments or cures for ALS, and the
exact cause of the disease remains unclear. "Some studies implicate the
immune system in ALS, but few have tracked immune cell populations in
patients over time," explains first author Can Cui, a PhD graduate at
the Unit of Integrative Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm,
Sweden. "We set out to track immune changes in patients with ALS and
determine if they could predict the patients' prognosis." Cui and
colleagues recruited 288 ALS patients living in Stockholm to participate
in the study. They collected blood samples from the patients at the start
of the study and at regular intervals afterward. They then tracked the relationship between immune cells in the samples and the participants'
disease progression for up to five years.

They found that the number of immune cells called leukocytes, neutrophils
and monocytes increased in the participants during this period. As this happened, it became more difficult for the patients to complete basic
physical tasks such as swallowing, holding utensils, or walking up and
down stairs. However, there was no link between the levels of these
cells in the body and a patient's risk of death.

In a subsample of 92 patients -- the 'FlowC cohort', in which 88% of participants were also included in the main cohort of 288 -- the team
measured 23 subpopulations of lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell)
in the patients' blood. They found that those with higher counts of
natural killer cells and higher proportions of Th2-differentiated CD4+
T cells were likely to have better survival. However, higher proportions
of CD8+ T cells and CD4+ EMRA T cells were associated with worse survival.

"Immune cells appear to play a dual role in ALS," Cui explains. "Higher
numbers of neutrophils and monocytes reflect worsening motor function
in patients, while higher T-cell levels may be associated more clearly
with survival." "These discoveries have important implications for understanding ALS and may contribute to the development of treatments
that target specific immune cells," adds co-author Caroline Ingre,
Head of the ALS Center at Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden.

The authors add that there are a number of limitations to their study. For example, their analysis of cell types and proportions in the participants should be interpreted with caution, as not all patients were able to
contribute repeated cell measurements due to high mortality rates in ALS.

Despite the limitations, the research paves the way for learning more
about how ALS progresses and finding potential new ways for monitoring patients. "Our results also suggest the need for further studies on
whether targeting specific immune cells could help improve patient
outcomes," Ingre concludes.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by eLife. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Can Cui, Caroline Ingre, Li Yin, Xia Li, John Andersson, Christina
Seitz,
Nicolas Ruffin, Yudi Pawitan, Fredrik Piehl, Fang Fang. Correlation
between leukocyte phenotypes and prognosis of amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis. eLife, 2022; 11 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.74065 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220315121436.htm

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