0000000000280325
AUTHOR
Michael Bette
Molecular Anatomical Basis of Interactions between Nervous and Immune Systems in Health and Disease
Traditionally, the nervous and immune systems have been regarded to function largely independently of each other. Interdisciplinary investigations of the recent past, however, have demonstrated that the nervous and immune systems have close functional interrelationships at several nodal intersections (Ader & Cohen, 1993; Besedovsky & del Rey, 1996b; Felten & Felten, 1994; Ottaway & Husband, 1994; Weihe, Nohr, Michel, Muller, Zentel, Fink, & Krekel, 1991a). Transmitters of the nervous system act on immune cells and messengers of the immune system influence the nervous system. Typical neuronal messengers appear to be synthesized in immune cells, and typical immune cell messengers appear to be…
Distribution and kinetics of superantigen-induced cytokine gene expression in mouse spleen.
The polyclonal stimulation of T cells by bacterial superantigens is involved in the pathogenesis of the toxic shock syndrome in certain staphylococcal and streptococcal infections. Here we describe the onset and kinetics of superantigen-induced cytokine production in situ in spleens of normal BALB/c mice monitored at the level of cytokine mRNA expression by in situ hybridization. Messenger RNAs for interleukin 2 (IL-2), interferon gamma, and tumor necrosis factors (TNF) alpha and beta were not expressed at detectable levels in spleens of unstimulated animals but became visible already 30 min after intraperitoneal application of 50 micrograms staphylococcal enterotoxin B. All mRNA levels sho…
Differential expression of mRNA encoding interleukin-12 p35 and p40 subunitsin situ
Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a heterodimeric cytokine that plays an important role in the regulation of the immune response. For biological activity the expression of both subunits of IL-12, p35 and p40, is required. Moreover, in the mouse the p40 chain of IL-12 specifically inhibits the effects of the IL-12 heterodimer. In the present study we have analyzed by in situ hybridization the expression of the p35 and p40 mRNA in the spleens of BALB/c and mutant (SCID, nude, beige) mice, unstimulated and after in vivo stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and with staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). In unstimulated spleens of BALB/c mice p35 and p40 mRNA were only detectable in a few strongly st…