Blocking cGAS-STING pathway promotes post-stroke functional recovery in an extended treatment window via facilitating remyelination.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic stroke is a major cause of worldwide death and disability, with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator being the sole effective treatment, albeit with a limited treatment window. The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) and stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway is emerging as the major DNA-sensing pathway to invoke immune responses in neuroinflammatory disorders. METHODS: By performing a series of neurobehavioral assessments, electrophysiological analysis, high-throughput sequencing, and cell-based assays based on the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) mouse stroke model, we examined the effects and underlying mechanisms of genetic and pharmacological inhibition of the cGAS-STING pathway on long-term post-stroke neurological functional outcomes. FINDINGS: Blocking the cGAS-STING pathway, even 3 days after tMCAO, significantly promoted functional recovery in terms of white matter structural and functional integrity as well as sensorimotor and cognitive functions. Mechanistically, the neuroprotective effects via inhibiting the cGAS-STING pathway were contributed not only by inflammation repression at the early stage of tMCAO but also by modifying the cell state of phagocytes to facilitate remyelination at the sub-acute phase. The activation of the cGAS-STING pathway significantly impeded post-stroke remyelination through restraining myelin debris uptake and degradation and hindering oligodendrocyte differentiation and maturation. CONCLUSIONS: Manipulating the cGAS-STING pathway has an extended treatment window in promoting long-term post-stroke functional recovery via facilitating remyelination in a mouse stroke model. Our results highlight the roles of the cGAS-STING pathway in aggregating stroke pathology and propose a new way for improving functional recovery after ischemic stroke. FUNDING: This work was primarily funded by the National Key R&D Program of China.

Comparative analysis of gene expression between mice and humans in acetaminophen-induced liver injury by integrating bioinformatics analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Mice are routinely utilized as animal models of drug-induced liver injury (DILI), however, there are significant differences in the pathogenesis between mice and humans. This study aimed to compare gene expression between humans and mice in acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury (AILI), and investigate the similarities and differences in biological processes between the two species. METHODS: A pair of public datasets (GSE218879 and GSE120652) obtained from GEO were analyzed using "Limma" package in R language, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including co-expressed DEGs (co-DEGs) and specific-expressed DEGS (specific-DEGs). Analysis of Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were performed analyses for specific-DEGs and co-DEGs. The co-DEGs were also used to construct transcription factor (TF)-gene network, gene-miRNA interactions network and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network for analyzing hub genes. RESULTS: Mouse samples contained 1052 up-regulated genes and 1064 down-regulated genes, while human samples contained 1156 up-regulated genes and 1557 down-regulated genes. After taking the intersection between the DEGs, only 154 co-down-regulated and 89 co-up-regulated DEGs were identified, with a proportion of less than 10%. It was suggested that significant differences in gene expression between mice and humans in drug-induced liver injury. Mouse-specific-DEGs predominantly engaged in processes related to apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress, while human-specific-DEGs were concentrated around catabolic process. Analysis of co-regulated genes reveals showed that they were mainly enriched in biosynthetic and metabolism-related processes. Then a PPI network which contains 189 nodes and 380 edges was constructed from the co-DEGs and two modules were obtained by Mcode. We screened out 10 hub genes by three algorithms of Degree, MCC and MNC, including CYP7A1, LSS, SREBF1, FASN, CD44, SPP1, ITGAV, ANXA5, LGALS3 and PDGFRA. Besides, TFs such as FOXC1, HINFP, NFKB1, miRNAs like mir-744-5p, mir-335-5p, mir-149-3p, mir-218-5p, mir-10a-5p may be the key regulatory factors of hub genes. CONCLUSIONS: The DEGs of AILI mice models and those of patients were compared, and common biological processes were identified. The signaling pathways and hub genes in co-expression were identified between mice and humans through a series of bioinformatics analyses, which may be more valuable to reveal molecular mechanisms of AILI.

Fighting with Aging: The Secret for Keeping Health and Longevity of Naked Mole Rats.

Health and longevity are the dreams of mankind and the main field of the medical community. The naked mole rat (NMR) is a unique murine animal with extremely long lives (exceeding 38 years), revealing little signs of aging such as reproductive decline, neural degenerative diseases, and cancer. They provide us with valuable perspectives on preventing age-related diseases. This review systematically summarized the characters of different systems of naked mole rats in aging resistance, and furtherly exploited the mechanisms for aging resistance form genome, telomeres, protein recycling, metabolism, and oxidative stress attitudes. As a species with a high similarity with human beings, it cannot be ruled out that after reasonable validity, safety and ethical evaluation, the dominant genes of naked mole rats will be developed in medical transformation, to realize the dream of human health and longevity.

HERC5-catalyzed ISGylation potentiates cGAS-mediated innate immunity.

The cytosolic DNA sensor cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is essential to elicit type I interferon cascade response; thus, the activity of cGAS must be strictly regulated to boost the antiviral innate immunity. Here, we report that cGAS is responsible for the DNA-induced ISG15 conjugation system. The E3 HERC5 catalyzes the ISGylation of cytoplasmic cGAS at lysine 21, 187, 219, and 458, whereas Ubl carboxy-terminal hydrolase 18 removes the ISGylation of cGAS. The interaction of cGAS and HERC5 depends on the cGAS C-terminal domain and the RRC1-4 and RRC1-5 domains of HERC5. Mechanically, HERC5-catalyzed ISGylation promotes DNA-induced cGAS oligomerization and enhances cGAS enzymatic activity. Deficiency of ISGylation attenuates the downstream inflammatory gene expression induced by the cGAS-STING axis and the antiviral ability in mouse and human cells. Mice deficient in Isg15 or Herc6 are more vulnerable to herpes simplex virus 1 infection. Collectively, our study shows a positive feedback regulation of the cGAS-mediated innate immune pathway by ISGylation.

CACNA1B protects naked mole-rat hippocampal neuron from apoptosis via altering the subcellular localization of Nrf2 after 60Co irradiation.

Although radiotherapy is the most effective treatment modality for brain tumors, it always injures the central nervous system, leading to potential sequelae such as cognitive dysfunction. Radiation induces molecular, cellular, and functional changes in neuronal and glial cells. The hippocampus plays a critical role in learning and memory; therefore, concerns about radiation-induced injury are widespread. Multiple studies have focused on this complex problem, but the results have not been fully elucidated. Naked mole rat brains were irradiated with 60Co at a dose of 10 Gy. On 7 days, 14 days, and 28 days after irradiation, hippocampi in the control groups were obtained for next-generation sequencing. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were subsequently performed. Venn diagrams revealed 580 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were common at different times after irradiation. GO and KEGG analyses revealed that the 580 common DEGs were enriched in molecular transducer activity. In particular, CACNA1B mediated regulatory effects after irradiation. CACNA1B expression increased significantly after irradiation. Downregulation of CACNA1B led to a reduction in apoptosis and reactive oxygen species levels in hippocampal neurons. This was due to the interaction between CACNA1B and Nrf2, which disturbed the normal nuclear localization of Nrf2. In addition, CACNA1B downregulation led to a decrease in the cognitive functions of naked mole rats. These findings reveal the pivotal role of CACNA1B in regulating radiation-induced brain injury and will lead to the development of a novel strategy to prevent brain injury after irradiation.

Caveolin-1 suppresses hippocampal neuron apoptosis via the regulation of HIF1α in hypoxia in naked mole-rats.

Naked mole-rats (NMRs) (Heterocephalus glaber) are highly social and subterranean rodents with large communal colonies in burrows containing low oxygen levels. The inhibition of severe hypoxic conditions is of particular interest to this study. To understand the mechanisms that facilitate neuronal preservation during hypoxia, we investigated the proteins regulating hypoxia tolerance in NMR hippocampal neurons. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1), a transmembrane scaffolding protein, confers prosurvival signalling in the central nervous system. The present study aimed to investigate the role of Cav-1 in hypoxia-induced neuronal injury. Western blotting analysis and immunocytochemistry showed that Cav-1 expression was significantly upregulated in NMR hippocampal neurons under 8% O2 conditions for 8 h. Cav-1 alleviates apoptotic neuronal death from hypoxia. Downregulation of Cav-1 by lentiviral vectors suggested damage to NMR hippocampal neurons under hypoxic conditions in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of Cav-1 by LV-Cav-1 enhanced hypoxic tolerance of NMR hippocampal neurons in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, the levels of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) are also increased under hypoxic conditions. After inhibiting the binding of HIF-1α to hypoxia response elements in the DNA by echinomycin, Cav-1 levels were downregulated significantly. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed the direct role of HIF1α in regulating the expression levels of Cav-1 in NMR hippocampal neurons under hypoxic conditions. These findings suggest that Cav-1 plays a critical role in modulating the apoptosis of NMR hippocampal neurons and warrant further studies targeting Cav-1 to treat hypoxia-associated brain diseases.

Sacubitril Ameliorates Cardiac Fibrosis Through Inhibiting TRPM7 Channel.

Heart failure caused by cardiac fibrosis has become a major challenge of public health worldwide. Cardiomyocyte programmed cell death (PCD) and activation of fibroblasts are crucial pathological features, both of which are associated with aberrant Ca2+ influx. Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 7 (TRPM7), the major Ca2+ permeable channel, plays a regulatory role in cardiac fibrosis. In this study, we sought to explore the mechanistic details for sacubitril, a component of sacubitril/valsartan, in treating cardiac fibrosis. We demonstrated that sacubitril/valsartan could effectively ameliorate cardiac dysfunction and reduce cardiac fibrosis induced by isoprotereno (ISO) in vivo. We further investigated the anti-fibrotic effect of sacubitril in fibroblasts. LBQ657, the metabolite of sacubitril, could significantly attenuate transforming growth factor-ß 1 (TGF-ß1) induced cardiac fibrosis by blocking TRPM7 channel, rather than suppressing its protein expression. In addition, LBQ657 reduced hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte PCD via suppression of Ca2+ influx regulated by TRPM7. These findings suggested that sacubitril ameliorated cardiac fibrosis by acting on both fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes through inhibiting TRPM7 channel.

Perillaldehyde Inhibition of cGAS Reduces dsDNA-Induced Interferon Response.

Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), serving as a primary sensor of intracellular DNA, is essential to initiate anti-microbial innate immunity. Inappropriate activation of cGAS by self-DNA promotes severe autoinflammatory diseases such as Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS); thus, inhibition of cGAS may provide therapeutic benefit in anti-autoimmunity. Here we report that perillaldehyde (PAH), a natural monoterpenoid compound derived from Perilla frutescens, suppresses cytosolic-DNA-induced innate immune responses by inhibiting cGAS activity. Mice treated with PAH are more susceptible to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection. Moreover, administration with PAH markedly ameliorates self-DNA-induced autoinflammatory responses in a mouse model of AGS. Collectively, our study reveals that PAH can effectively inhibit cGAS-STING signaling and could be developed toward the treatment of cGAS-mediated autoimmune diseases.

[Mitochondrial DNA and cGAS-STING Innate Immune Signaling Pathway: Latest Research Progress].

Mitochondria are important organelles that present extensively in cells, serving diverse functions. In addition to controlling cell energy production and metabolism, mitochondria are also involved in various biological processes, including anti-infection, apoptosis, and autophagy. Harmful stimuli from external environment or those generated by the cells themselves can damage mitochondria and cause mitochondrial stress response, during which the mitochondrial matrix containing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can leak into the cytoplasm. Cytoplasmic mtDNA, acting as a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP), can activate a panel of DNA sensors and elicit innate immune response in organisms. Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), a key intracellular DNA sensor, can catalyze the conversion of GTP and ATP to cyclic GMP-AMP (2'3'-cGAMP), which serves as second messenger to bind and activate stimulator of interferon gene (STING), an endoplasmic adaptor protein. Beyond its critical roles in anti-microbial immunity, cGAS-STING pathway also serves important functions in many pathological and physiological processes such as autoimmunity, tumor and senescence. In this review, we focus on how the mtDNA released during mitochonrial stress response activates the cGAS-STING innate immune signaling pathway and the associated diseases, in order to help promote basic research about the role of mitochondria in innate immunity and provide new strategies for developing mitochondria-targeting drugs.

The genomic basis of geographic differentiation and fiber improvement in cultivated cotton.

Large-scale genomic surveys of crop germplasm are important for understanding the genetic architecture of favorable traits. The genomic basis of geographic differentiation and fiber improvement in cultivated cotton is poorly understood. Here, we analyzed 3,248 tetraploid cotton genomes and confirmed that the extensive chromosome inversions on chromosomes A06 and A08 underlies the geographic differentiation in cultivated Gossypium hirsutum. We further revealed that the haplotypic diversity originated from landraces, which might be essential for understanding adaptative evolution in cultivated cotton. Introgression and association analyses identified new fiber quality-related loci and demonstrated that the introgressed alleles from two diploid cottons had a large effect on fiber quality improvement. These loci provided the potential power to overcome the bottleneck in fiber quality improvement. Our study uncovered several critical genomic signatures generated by historical breeding effects in cotton and a wealth of data that enrich genomic resources for the research community.

miR-23a/b suppress cGAS-mediated innate and autoimmunity.

Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), a key sensor of intracellular DNA, is essential for eliciting innate immunity against infection, whereas aberrant activation of cGAS by endogenous DNA promotes severe autoimmune diseases. However, it is largely unknown how cGAS expression is regulated during pathogen infection and autoimmunity. Here, we report that during herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection, two microRNAs (miR-23a and miR-23b) whose levels significantly decrease due to their interaction with the lncRNA Oasl2-209 directly regulate the expression of cGAS. Overexpression of miR-23a/b markedly dampens cytosolic DNA-induced innate immune responses, whereas inhibition of miR-23a/b enhances these responses. Mice treated with miR-23a/b agomirs exhibit increased susceptibility to HSV-1 infection. Moreover, cGAS is significantly upregulated in the Trex1-/- mouse autoimmune disease model. Administration of miR-23a/b blunts self DNA-induced autoinflammatory responses in Trex1-/- mice. Collectively, our study not only reveals a novel regulatory mechanism of cGAS expression by miRNAs but also identifies a potential therapy for cGAS-related autoimmune diseases.

Nuclear cGAS Functions Non-canonically to Enhance Antiviral Immunity via Recruiting Methyltransferase Prmt5.

Cyclic guanosine monophosphate (GMP)-AMP synthase (cGAS), upon sensing cytosolic DNA, catalyzes the production of cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate (cGAMP), which activates STING-TBK1-IRF3 signaling. cGAS is also present in the nucleus, but the relevant nuclear function or mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we report that nuclear cGAS is indispensable for inducing cytokines and chemokines triggered by RNA/DNA viruses. Unexpectedly, the DNA-binding/nucleotidyltransferase activity of cGAS is dispensable for RNA-virus-induced genes expression. cGAS deficiency does not affect the phosphorylation, dimerization, or nuclear translocation of IRF3 induced by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Mechanistically, nuclear-localized cGAS interacts with protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (Prmt5), which catalyzes the symmetric dimethylation of histone H3 arginine 2 at Ifnb and Ifna4 promoters, thus facilitating the access of IRF3. Deficiency of Prmt5 or disrupting its catalytic activity suppresses the production of type I interferons (IFNs), impairing the host defenses against RNA/DNA virus infections. Taken together, our study uncovers a non-canonical function of nuclear-localized cGAS in innate immunity via regulating histone arginine modification.

Regulation of Circulatory Muscle-specific MicroRNA during 8 km Run.

Acute prolonged endurance running has been shown to alter muscle-specific circulating microRNA (miRNA) levels. Here, eighteen participants completed an 8 km run. We assessed the levels of hsa-miR-1-3p, -133a-3p, -133b, and -206 and their correlation with conventional biomarkers following exercise. Compared to before exercise (Pre), 8 km run significantly increased the lactate level immediately after exercise (0 h). Myoglobin (Mb) level increased at 0 h while creatine kinase (CK) level increased 24 h after exercise (24 h). The levels of creatine kinase MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) were all elevated at 24 h and within the normal physiological range; The levels of hsa-miR-1-3p, -133a-3p, -133b significantly increased at 0 h but only hsa-miR-133a-3p still elevated at 24 h. Only hsa-miR-206 level decreased at 24 h; Additionally, the changes of hsa-miR-1-3p and hsa-miR-133a-3p were correlated with Mb at 24 h. These findings suggest that muscle-specific miRNA elevation in plasma is likely physiological and that these miRNA may be used as potential biomarkers for load monitoring in individuals.

The microbiota in the intestinal and respiratory tracts of naked mole-rats revealed by high-throughput sequencing.

BACKGROUND: The naked mole-rat (NMR, Heterocephalus glaber) is being bred as a novel laboratory animal due to its unique biological characteristics, including longevity, cancer resistance, hypoxia tolerance, and pain insensitivity. It is expected that differences exist between the microbiota of wild NMRs and that of NMRs in an artificial environment. Overall, the effect of environment on changes in the NMR microbiota remains unknown. In an attempt to understand the microbiota composition of NMRs in captivity, variability in the microbiota of the intestinal and respiratory tracts of two groups of NMRs was assessed under two conditions. RESULTS: The results obtained by high-throughput sequencing revealed significant differences at the phylum, class, order, family and genus levels in the microbiota between the two groups of NMRs examined (first group in conventional environment, second group in barrier environment). For the trachea, 24 phyla and 533 genera and 26 phyla and 733 genera were identified for the first and second groups of animals. Regarding the cecum, 23 phyla and 385 genera and 25 phyla and 110 genera were identified in the microbiota of first and second groups of animals. There were no obvious differences between females and males or young and adult animals. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the intestinal and respiratory tract NMR microbiota changed during captivity, which may be related to the transition to the breeding environment. Such changes in the microbiota of NMRs may have an effect on the original characteristics, which may be the direction of further research studies.

The Jun/miR-22/HuR regulatory axis contributes to tumourigenesis in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a severe health problem worldwide. Clarifying the mechanisms for the deregulation of oncogenes and tumour suppressors in CRC is vital for its diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and prevention. Hu antigen R (HuR), which is highly upregulated in CRC, functions as a pivotal oncogene to promote CRC progression. However, the underlying cause of its dysregulation is poorly understood. METHODS: In CRC tissue sample pairs, HuR protein levels were measured by Western blot and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, respectively. HuR mRNA levels were also monitored by qRT-PCR. Combining meta-analysis and microRNA (miRNA) target prediction software, we predicted miRNAs that targeted HuR. Pull-down assay, Western blot and luciferase assay were utilized to demonstrate the direct binding of miR-22 on HuR's 3'-UTR. The biological effects of HuR and miR-22 were investigated both in vitro by CCK-8, EdU and Transwell assays and in vivo by a xenograft mice model. JASPAR and SABiosciences were used to predict transcriptional factors that could affect miR-22. Luciferase assay was used to explore the validity of putative Jun binding sites for miR-22 regulation. ChIP assay was performed to test the Jun's occupancy on the C17orf91 promoter. RESULTS: We observed a significant upregulation of HuR in CRC tissue pairs and confirmed the oncogenic function of HuR both in vitro and in vivo. We found that an important tumour-suppressive miRNA, miR-22, was significantly downregulated in CRC tissues and inversely correlated with HuR in both CRC tissues and CRC cell lines. We demonstrated that miR-22 directly bound to the 3'-UTR of HuR and led to inhibition of HuR protein, which repressed CRC proliferation and migration in vitro and decelerated CRC xenografted tumour growth in vivo. Furthermore, we found that the onco-transcription factor Jun could inhibit the transcription of miR-22. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the critical roles of the Jun/miR-22/HuR regulatory axis in CRC progression and may provide attractive potential targets for CRC prevention and treatment.

Comparative study of macrophages in naked mole rats and ICR mice.

The domestic and foreign scholars have studied naked mole rats more focused on the respect such as its long life, resistant to low oxygen, little spontaneous tumor, but the study of the immune system is little. In this study, we compared the anatomy and tissue morphology of NMR and ICR mouse spleens and found that the gross appearance of the NNMR spleen differed from ICR. There were more macrophages in NNMR spleens than in ICR spleens. Furthermore, we focused on the differences of macrophages. We compared their phagocytic capabilities and the data showed that NNMR macrophages are more phagocytic than ICR mouse macrophages. We also used polyI:C and LPS to stimulate the NMR and ICR macrophages and then measured the immune response as expression of certain TLR signaling molecules. After stimulation, there was a lower increase in apoptosis of NMR macrophages than ICR macrophages and a non-significant increased expression of TLRs in NMR macrophages than in ICR macrophages. In contrast, NF-κB proteins increased more significantly in NMR's than in ICR's and the expression of downstream cytokines in NMR macrophages also increased more than in ICR macrophages. Based on these results, we hypothesize that in addition to being able to eat foreign matter, NMR macrophages can activate the TLRs, start the NF-κB and produce a large number of cytokines to enhance immune response, so as to protect the body from outside interference when the virus or bacteria invading.

Levels of Leydig cell autophagy regulate the fertility of male naked mole-rats.

Fertility is abolished in nonbreeding males in colonies of natal naked mole-rats (NMRs). Although spermatogenesis occurs in both breeding and nonbreeding male NMRs, the mechanisms underlying the differences in fertility between breeders and nonbreeders remain unexplored. In this study, a significant decrease in autophagy was observed in Leydig cells of the testis from nonbreeding male NMRs. This alteration was visualised as a significant decrease in the levels of autophagy-related gene 7 (Atg7), Atg5, microtubule-associated protein 1A/B light chain 3 (LC3-II/I) and the number of autophagosomes and an increase in P62 levels using Western blotting analyses. Furthermore, monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining and Western blot analyses revealed that testosterone production decreased in nonbreeding male NMR Leydig cells, this decrease was associated with a reduction in autophagy. Primary Leydig cells from breeding and nonbreeding male NMRs were processed to investigate the effect of an autophagy inhibitor (3-MA, 3-methyladenine) or an autophagy activator (rapamycin) on testosterone production. Rapamycin induced an increase in testosterone production in NMR Leydig cells, whereas 3-MA had the opposite effect. Consequently, spermatogenesis, the weight of the testis, and androgen levels were dramatically reduced in nonbreeding male NMRs. While rapamycin treatment restored the fertility of nonbreeding male NMRs. Based on these results, inadequate autophagy correlates with a decrease in steroid production in nonbreeding male NMR Leydig cells, which may ultimately influence the spermatogenesis and fertilities of these animals.

Immethridine, histamine H3-receptor (H3R) agonist, alleviated experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis via inhibiting the function of dendritic cells.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease that is characterized by immune-mediated demyelination and degeneration of the central nervous system (CNS). Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the preferential experimental rodent model for MS. Previous study demonstrated histamine H3 receptor (H3R) was an important factor in pathophysiology of EAE and immethridine was the most selective agonist of H3R. However, whether immethridine has therapeutic effect on EAE and its mechanism remained to be defined. Here we constructed EAE mouse model by immunization of MOG35-55 peptides with complete Freund's adjuvant, immethridine was used to treat EAE and its therapeutic effect was evaluated. The results showed that the treatment of immethridine could alleviate EAE. The percentage of Th1 and Th17 in the spleen from the treated EAE mice decreased and the surface molecules such as CD40, CD86 or MHCII on dendritic cells (DCs) were also down-regulated. To understand the effect of immethridine on DCs, bone marrow-derived DCs were prepared and the immunological functions were analyzed. The data demonstrated that immethridine could change the expression profiles of cytokines in DCs and inhibit the expression of the co-stimulatory molecules such as CD40 and CD86. Furthermore, immethridine also inhibited the antigen-presenting function of DCs and T cell differentiation induced by DCs. Signaling pathway analysis demonstrated that the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 but not ERK1/2 in DCs was inhibited after the treatment of immethridine. These data strongly suggested that immethridine could inhibit the function of DCs and indicated the therapeutic potential on EAE.