Non-MHC gene regulation of nerve root injury induced spinal cord inflammation and neuron death.
Spinal ventral root avulsion leads to an inflammatory response around lesioned motoneurons and the subsequent degeneration of a large proportion of the neurons. We demonstrate here differences in the regulation of cytokine mRNAs, microglia/macrophage activation, MHC expression and nerve cell survival in the two inbred rat strains DA and ACI. These strains have similar major MHC haplotypes, but differ in their non-MHC background genes. T cells were rare in the lesioned segments and depletion of T cells did not affect the response. Thus, non-MHC gene(s) regulate the inflammation and neuron death after nerve trauma by mechanisms not involving antigen-specific immune responses.
Piehl
F
F
Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. fredrik.piehl@cmm.ki.se
Lundberg
C
C
Khademi
M
M
Bucht
A
A
Dahlman
I
I
Lorentzen
J C
JC
Olsson
T
T
D000818:Animals; D016923:Cell Death; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000032:analysis; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000502:physiology; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000473:pathology*; D009187:Myelitis / Q000209:etiology*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011912:Rats, Inbred ACI; D013045:Species Specificity; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots / Q000293:injuries*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000502:physiology
D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma