Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
1995-3-30
pubmed:abstractText
Mercuric chloride (HgCl2) induces autoimmunity in Brown Norway (BN) rats, with necrotizing vasculitis in the gut. Circumstantial evidence implicates the Th2 subset of CD4+ T lymphocytes, which produces IL-4. We developed a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique to quantify IL-4 gene expression. A phagemid containing rat IL-4 cDNA was modified to act as the template for a synthetic RNA construct; a known amount of synthetic RNA was added to total RNA from spleen and caecum of BN rats at various times after HgCl2, followed by reverse transcriptase PCR. IL-4 gene expression increased markedly in spleen and caecum after HgCl2. Splenic levels peaked by 10 days at approximately five-times baseline, then returned towards normal as the autoimmune response was spontaneously regulated. Caecal IL-4 expression peaked at 48 h, at which time we observed a previously unreported early phase of tissue injury, with necrotizing vasculitis qualitatively similar to that reported previously in the later phases of the model. These data support a key role for IL-4 in this experimental model of autoimmunity. The quantitative PCR technique can be modified for analysis of other cytokines, allowing further investigation of the role of T cell subsets in this model.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Mar
pubmed:issn
0300-9475
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
41
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
268-72
pubmed:dateRevised
2010-8-25
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1995
pubmed:articleTitle
Interleukin-4 gene expression in mercury-induced autoimmunity.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't