Abstract
Murine resistance to development of toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) has recently been mapped to the D region of the major histocompatibility complex (H-2). Since the gene for tumor necrosis factor or (TNF-α) is located 5′ of the D region and TNF-α has been implicated as playing a role in neurological diseases, we were interested in determining the relationship of TNF-α production to TE resistance. We have demonstrated that resistance to TE in inbred mice can be correlated with specific restriction fragment length polymorphisms and microsatellite variants in the TNF-α gene. Mice that are susceptible to TE express elevated levels of TNF-α mRNA in brain tissue 6 wk after infection with the ME49 strain of Toxoplasma gondii. Resistant mice and all mice that are uninfected show no detectable TNF-α mRNA expression in brain tissue. Differences in the TNF-α gene between susceptible and resistant mice have been localized to the first intron, the promoter, and the 3′ end of the TNF-α gene. These data implicate differences in regulation of TNF-α production in brain tissue as contributing to differences in susceptibility to development of TE.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 683-688 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Experimental Medicine |
Volume | 175 |
Issue number | 3 |
State | Published - 1992 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology