| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |






From the Department of Immunology,* University of Rostock, Germany; the Institute for Surgical Pathology,
University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland; the Department of Neurology,
University of Rostock, Germany; and the CNRS UPR 9078 Faculté de Médecine Necker-Enfants-Malades,
Paris, France
Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) is a member of the mitochondrial transporter superfamily that is expressed in many tissues, including immune cells. UCP2 prevents oxidative stress by reducing reactive oxygen species. Using UCP2-deficient mice, it was shown that UCP2 is involved in the regulation of insulin secretion, in the resistance to infection, and in atherosclerosis. Here, we investigated the role of UCP2 in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a murine model of multiple sclerosis. Immunized C57BL/6J UCP2-deficient mice showed a slightly delayed onset during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (13.0 ± 0.6 versus 11.5 ± 0.8 in wild-type controls) and developed significantly higher disease scores than littermate controls (maximum disease score of 2.9 ± 0.2 versus 1.7 ± 0.2, P = 0.001). Higher levels of infiltrating T cells into the spinal cord meninges and parenchyma were observed. The T-cell proliferative response to the specific antigen was increased in UCP2-deficient mice compared with littermate controls, and CD4 cells of UCP2 knockout mice produced significantly higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, eg, tumor necrosis factor-
and interleukin-2, resulting from a Th1 response. Mice lacking UCP2 also developed a higher B-cell response. Concomitantly, CD4 and CD8 cells of the UCP2-deficient mice showed increased production of reactive oxygen species. These results suggest a protective function of UCP2 in chronic inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
X. Yu, L. Wester-Rosenlof, U. Gimsa, S.-A. Holzhueter, A. Marques, L. Jonas, K. Hagenow, M. Kunz, H. Nizze, M. Tiedge, et al. The mtDNA nt7778 G/T polymorphism affects autoimmune diseases and reproductive performance in the mouse Hum. Mol. Genet., December 15, 2009; 18(24): 4689 - 4698. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Tagen, A. Elorza, D. Kempuraj, W. Boucher, C. L. Kepley, O. S. Shirihai, and T. C. Theoharides Mitochondrial Uncoupling Protein 2 Inhibits Mast Cell Activation and Reduces Histamine Content J. Immunol., November 15, 2009; 183(10): 6313 - 6319. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
I. A. Hoppenbrouwers, F. Liu, Y. S. Aulchenko, G. C. Ebers, B. A. Oostra, C. M. van Duijn, and R. Q. Hintzen Maternal Transmission of Multiple Sclerosis in a Dutch Population Arch Neurol, March 1, 2008; 65(3): 345 - 348. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C. Pecqueur, T. Bui, C. Gelly, J. Hauchard, C. Barbot, F. Bouillaud, D. Ricquier, B. Miroux, and C. B. Thompson Uncoupling protein-2 controls proliferation by promoting fatty acid oxidation and limiting glycolysis-derived pyruvate utilization FASEB J, January 1, 2008; 22(1): 9 - 18. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
Y. Emre, C. Hurtaud, M. Karaca, T. Nubel, F. Zavala, and D. Ricquier Role of uncoupling protein UCP2 in cell-mediated immunity: How macrophage-mediated insulitis is accelerated in a model of autoimmune diabetes PNAS, November 27, 2007; 104(48): 19085 - 19090. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. Otaegui, A. Saenz, J. Ruiz-Martinez, J. Olaskoaga, and A. Lopez de Munain UCP2 and mitochondrial haplogroups as a multiple sclerosis risk factor Multiple Sclerosis, May 1, 2007; 13(4): 454 - 458. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
E. Ahlqvist, R. Bockermann, and R. Holmdahl Fragmentation of Two Quantitative Trait Loci Controlling Collagen-Induced Arthritis Reveals a New Set of Interacting Subloci J. Immunol., March 1, 2007; 178(5): 3084 - 3090. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |