Molecular Mechanisms of Stress in Autoimmunity and Psychiatric Disorders
A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 July 2020) | Viewed by 3516
Special Issue Editors
Interests: autoimmunity; neuroimmunology; neuroinflammation; neurodegeneration; immune-based diagnosis and therapy
Interests: multiple sclerosis; neuroimmunology; neuroinflammatory disorders; immune regulation; immune–neural interaction; therapeutic mode-of-action and biological proof-of-principle studies; biomarker development
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
It has been well-established that stress can substantially affect the homeostatic regulation of the immune system via the activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and the release of glucocorticoids (GCs) into the circulation. In turn, GCs act to regulate the activation, proliferation, and trafficking of leukocytes and are thus often used as immunosuppressors in the clinical treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.
In spite of the clear immunosuppressive potential of stress-induced GCs, chronic exposure to stress has also been linked with the relapse of autoimmune diseases (e.g., MS and psoriasis), increased pathogenicity of viral infections, or enhanced brain inflammation which may accelerate neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases. These diseases are all characterized by a pro-inflammatory immune response, implying that chronic stress exposure attenuates rather than enhances the immunosuppressive effects of GCs in various cell types. Reduced sensitivity to the immunosuppressive effects of GCs, referred to as glucocorticoid resistance, has been extensively described in patients with various inflammatory diseases where steroid treatment has failed. Whereas several molecular mechanisms underlying the dysfunction of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) due to persistent inflammation or genetic defects have recently been described, further insights into these mechanisms may help to unveil regulatory roles of GCs in various tissues and cell compartments, to elucidate the etiology of diseases with strong inflammatory components, and to identify therapeutic strategies to overcome GC resistance in a variety of inflammatory diseases.
This Special issue of Biomolecules invites manuscripts and reviews which provide molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the impact of chronic stress on autoimmune and psychiatric disorders.
Prof. Alon Monsonego
Prof. Amit Bar-Or
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- autoimmunity
- psychiatric disorders
- HPA
- stress
- inflammation
