Tight Regulation of Major Histocompatibility Complex I for the Spatial and Temporal Expression in the Hippocampal Neurons

Yuqing Shen; Jianqiong Zhang

doi:10.3389/fncel.2021.739136

Tight Regulation of Major Histocompatibility Complex I for the Spatial and Temporal Expression in the Hippocampal Neurons

Front Cell Neurosci. 2021 Oct 1:15:739136. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2021.739136. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Yuqing Shen^{1

2}, Jianqiong Zhang^{1

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
² Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
⁴ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Medical School, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.

Abstract

The expression and function of immune molecules, such as major histocompatibility complex (MHC), within the developing and adult brain have been discovered over the past few years. Studies utilizing classical class I MHC knockout animals suggest that these molecules, in fact, play essential roles in the establishment, function, and modification of synapses in the CNS. Altered neuronal expression of class I MHC, as has been reported in pathological conditions, leads to aberrations in neuronal development and repair. In the hippocampus, cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate synaptic plasticity have heretofore been extensively studied. It is for this reason that multiple studies directed at better understanding the expression, regulation, and function of class I MHC within the hippocampus have been undertaken. Since several previous reviews have addressed the roles of class I MHC in the formation and function of hippocampal connections, the present review will focus on describing the spatial and temporal expression of class I MHC in developing, healthy adult, and aging hippocampus. Herein, we also review current literatures exploring mechanisms that regulate class I MHC expression in murine hippocampus. With this review, we aim to facilitate a deeper mechanistic understanding into the complex tight regulation of MHC I expression in hippocampus, which are needed as we explore the potential for targeting MHC I for therapeutic intervention in normal aging and in neurodegenerative diseases in the future.

Keywords: MHC class I; gene expression regulation; hippocampus; mice; neuron.

Publication types

Review