Helicobacter pylori - cellular immunity and protection against multiple sclerosis

多发性硬化症（MS）是一种影响中枢神经系统（CNS）的脱髓鞘自身免疫性疾病，炎症性t -辅助性1 （Th1）和Th17细胞反应损伤神经轴突的髓鞘并导致神经退行性变。这些细胞和抗炎调节性t细胞（Treg）反应之间的平衡在MS的发生和进展中很重要。幽门螺杆菌是一种细菌病原体，从童年开始就在人类的胃里定居。它是消化性溃疡和胃癌的主要原因，然而，它也诱导一个强有力的Treg反应和有益的作用已经被描述。我们首次在小鼠模型中证明了幽门螺杆菌对MS的保护作用，并报道了MS患者中幽门螺杆菌的患病率较低。本项目将评估幽门螺旋杆菌对MS的影响，并探讨其免疫学机制。MS患者的幽门螺杆菌状态将通过血清学来确定，流行病学分析将比较感染和未感染患者的MS病程（包括残疾评分、复发率和对治疗的反应性）。利用流式细胞术和RT-qPCR，我们将量化外周血Treg、Th1和Th17细胞，并研究它们迁移到胃粘膜而不是中枢神经系统的归巢受体表达的差异。

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating autoimmune disorder affecting the central nervous system (CNS), where inflammatory T-helper 1 (Th1) and Th17 cell responses damage the myelin sheath of neural axons and cause neurodegeneration. The balance between these cells and anti-inflammatory regulatory T-cell (Treg) responses is important in MS development and progression.H. pylori is a bacterial pathogen that colonises the human stomach from childhood. It is the major cause of peptic ulceration and gastric cancer, however it also induces a potent Treg response and beneficial roles have been described. We were the first to demonstrate protective effects of H. pylori against MS in a mouse model, and reported a lower prevalence of H. pylori amongst MS patients.This project will evaluate the influence of H. pylori on MS, and investigate the immunological mechanisms. H. pylori status of MS patients will be ascertained by serology, and epidemiological analyses will compare the course of MS in infected and uninfected patients (including disability scores, relapse rates, and responsiveness to therapies). Using flow cytometry and RT-qPCR, we will quantify peripheral blood Treg, Th1 and Th17 cells and investigate differences in their homing receptor expression for migration to the gastric mucosa rather than the CNS.