Neurodegenerative diseases place a devastating burden on affected individuals and their families, and new treatments are desperately needed for these common immune-mediated inflammatory conditions. While large aggregates of abnormal proteins in the brain cause significant damage, it is becoming clear that smaller soluble protein aggregates can also contribute to disease, by both direct and indirect mechanisms. These soluble protein oligomers can be found in patients' serum. Here, we describe recent research that identifies effects of model oligomer molecules on peripheral blood T cells, therefore providing an additional mechanism by which neurodegeneration may be worsened through amplification of peripheral adaptive immune responses.

中文翻译：

---

神经退行性疾病中的外周蛋白寡聚体是否会塑造大脑以外的 T 细胞反应？

神经退行性疾病给受影响的个人及其家人带来了毁灭性的负担，这些常见的免疫介导的炎症性疾病迫切需要新的治疗方法。虽然大脑中大量异常蛋白质聚集体会造成重大损害，但越来越清楚的是，较小的可溶性蛋白质聚集体也可以通过直接和间接机制导致疾病。这些可溶性蛋白质寡聚体可以在患者的血清中找到。在这里，我们描述了最近的研究，该研究确定了模型寡聚体分子对外周血 T 细胞的影响，因此提供了一种额外的机制，通过该机制，神经变性可能通过扩大外周适应性免疫反应而恶化。