Excessive complement C3 causes synaptic stripping and neurodegeneration. Here, the authors used the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of multiple sclerosis and single-cell RNA sequencing to show that C3 expression defines disease-associated reactive glia. C3 deletion abrogated these pro-inflammatory glia and protected neurons.
- Thomas Garton
- Matthew D. Smith
- Peter A. Calabresi