Role of leukemia inhibitory factor during mammalian development.
Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a cytokine that exhibits proliferative, survival and differentiation activities on a wide range of cell types. A role for LIF in embryonic development is suggested by: i) its ability to stimulate the proliferation of embryonic stem (ES) cells in vitro, while maintaining their totipotency and ii) by both its maternal and embryonic expression at the time of blastocyst implantation. Functional studies of LIF and its receptor during mouse embryogenesis have been performed using the techniques of targeted gene replacement and transgene expression in ES cells to produce transgenic mice bearing either loss- or gain-of-function mutations for LIF activity. Whereas, the phenotype observed in the LIF gain-of-function mutant mice supports a role for LIF in early embryogenesis, the loss-of-function phenotypes point to more specialized functions for LIF in development and further reveal the redundant feature of the LIF cytokine/receptor family.
Shellard
J
J
Unite d'Embryologie Moleculaire, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
Perreau
J
J
Brûlet
P
P
D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000235:genetics; D050822:Cytokine Receptor gp130; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006131:Growth Inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D015850:Interleukin-6; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D053680:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor Receptor alpha Subunit; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009154:Mutation; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine / Q000235:genetics; D053606:Receptors, OSM-LIF
D015703:Antigens, CD; D006131:Growth Inhibitors; C494200:Il6st protein, mouse; D015850:Interleukin-6; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D053680:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor Receptor alpha Subunit; C507838:Lif protein, mouse; C507841:Lifr protein, mouse; D008222:Lymphokines; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine; D053606:Receptors, OSM-LIF; D050822:Cytokine Receptor gp130