Poly(I:C) promotes TNFa/TNFR1-dependent oligodendrocyte death in mixed glial cultures

Steelman, Andrew J; Li, Jianrong

Direct viral infections or aberrant inflammation consequent of previous infection are known to contribute to both animal and human demyelinating diseases [22] . For instance, experimental infection of animals with Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis, mouse hepatitis and Semliki Forest viruses cause demyelination of the CNS [22] . Also, multiple human demyelinating diseases can result from viral infection or vaccination, such as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I-associated myelopathy, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis [22] . Viral infections have also been implicated in the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS), the most common demyelinating disease of the CNS [23] . Interestingly, TLR3 expression has been shown to be increased in both astrocytes and microglia in chronic MS lesions and is co-localized with its endogenous ligand stathmin, implicating a role for the activation of this particular TLR in MS pathogenesis [8] .