Furthermore, microarray studies of multiple sclerosis (MS) revealed that Ninj1 was detected in MS FLAG tag tissue, suggesting that Ninj1 is involved in the initiation or progression of MS [6]. MS is the most common autoimmune inflammatory disease of the CNS, and it begins with the disruption of the BBB and the infiltration of immune cells from peripheral blood, resulting in demyelination and axonal damage in the CNS [7]. EAE is a rodent model of human MS, and it can be induced by immunization with myelin antigens. However, the biological relevance of Ninj1 in MS remains largely unknown.
In this study, we analyzed the expression and role of Ninj1 in the EAE rat model. We found that Ninj1+ cells were detected in major routes for blood–borne immune cells (BBICs) infiltration into the CNS, including meninges, the choroid plexus, and perivascular regions [8]. Its expression was also highly elevated in these three regions of the EAE brain. Interestingly, Ninj1 expression in the EAE rat brain was specifically detected in myeloid cells such as macrophages/monocytes and neutrophils, and it was partially expressed in endothelium. Moreover, Ninj1 enhanced the binding between BV2 cells and HBMECs in vitro. Based on these data, we suggest that myeloid cells express Ninj1 to penetrate the BBB through adhesion to brain endothelium in the inflamed CNS.
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Tissue samples for biochemical analyses were snap frozen and
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