title: Leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is functionally linked to axotrophin and both LIF and axotrophin are linked to regulatory immune tolerance.
abstract: Axotrophin (axot) is a newly characterised stem cell gene and mice that lack axotrophin are viable and fertile, but show premature neural degeneration and defective development of the corpus callosum. By comparing axot+/+, axot+/- and axot-/- littermates, we now show that axotrophin is also involved in immune regulation. Both T cell proliferation and T cell-derived leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) were suppressed by axotrophin in a gene-dose-dependent manner. Moreover, a role for axotrophin in the feedback regulation of LIF is implicated. This is the first evidence that fate determination mediated by LIF maybe qualified by axotrophin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge, Box 202, Level E9, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK. smm1001@cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: Su M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Metcalfe
authors.forename: Poorni A De S
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Muthukumarana
authors.forename: H Lorraine
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Haendel
authors.forename: Gary E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Lyons
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D002469:Cell Separation; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000502:physiology*; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; C507838:Lif protein, mouse