| pubmed-article:18436580 | pubmed:abstractText | TNF is a pleiotropic cytokine involved in a variety of inflammatory processes and immune responses. TNF effects are mediated via two distinct membrane receptors: TNFR1 and TNFR2. Investigations concerning regulation and function of TNFR2 revealed a novel TNFR2 isoform in human and mouse cells, termed icp75TNFR, with mainly intracellular localization. As human icp75TNFR is capable of functional interaction with mouse TNF, mouse lines transgenic for the human icp75TNFR were generated and characterized. Transgenic expression was identified in several organs, and soluble human (sh)TNFR2 was detected in serum. shTNFR2 released from transfected cells or peritoneal macrophages of transgenic mice protected from TNF-induced cytotoxicity. Although in vivo, no change in inflammatory reactions was observed in models of septic peritonitis, of colitis, or after stimulation with bacterial LPS, liver injury was strongly enhanced in transgenic mice after Con A challenge. Thus, the functional properties of human icp75TNFR seem to be similar to that of TNFR2, resulting in exacerbation of inflammatory tissue damage, thus revealing the functional importance of TNFR2 in pathophysiological processes. | lld:pubmed |
