title: Accelerated prion disease in the absence of interleukin-10.
abstract: The identity of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the neuropathogenesis of prion diseases remains undefined. Here we have investigated the role of anti-inflammatory cytokines on the progression of prion disease through the use of mice that lack interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-10, IL-13, or both IL-4 and IL-13. Collectively our data show that among these anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-10 plays a prominent role in the regulation of prion disease. Mice deficient in IL-10 are highly susceptible to the development of prion disease and show a markedly shortened incubation time. In addition, we have correlated cytokine gene expression in prion-inoculated IL-10(-/-) mice to wild-type-inoculated animals. Our experiments show that in the absence of IL-10 there is an early expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). In wild-type prion-inoculated mice, the expression of TNF-alpha mRNA occurs at a later time point that correlates with the extended incubation time for terminal disease development in these animals compared to those that lack IL-10. Elevated levels of IL-13 mRNA are found at early time points in the central nervous system of prion-inoculated IL-10(-/-) mice. At terminal disease, the brains of wild-type mice inoculated with RML or ME7 are characterized by elevated levels of mRNA for the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-1beta, together with the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10, IL-13, and transforming growth factor beta. Our data are consistent with a role for proinflammatory cytokines in the initiation of pathology during prion disease and an attempt by anti-inflammatory cytokines to regulate the ensuing, invariably fatal pathology.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Veterinary Science, Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OES, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Alana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Thackray
authors.forename: Andrew N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: McKenzie
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Angus
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lauder
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bujdoso
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007378:Interleukins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D018620:PrPSc Proteins / Q000472:pathogenicity; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007378:Interleukins; D018620:PrPSc Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10