0000000000786782
AUTHOR
Jon D. Laman
Gradual development of psoriatic skin lesions by constitutive low-level expression of IL-17A
Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease restricted to humans. The understanding of its pathogenesis has long been hampered by the lack of suitable chronic mouse models. The cytokine IL-17A has emerged as a key player in epithelial immune responses and the defense against extracellular pathogens. Moreover, enhanced expression of IL-17A can turn pathologic and is closely associated with psoriasis. In this study, we generated a novel transgenic mouse model that recapitulates many characteristics of psoriasis. DC-1L-17A(ind) mice with constitutive low-level expression of IL-17A by CD11c(+) cells gradually develop skin lesions during adult life. The lesions preferentially occur a…
Reproducibility Issues: Avoiding Pitfalls in Animal Inflammation Models
In light of an enhanced awareness of ethical questions and ever increasing costs when working with animals in biomedical research, there is a dedicated and sometimes fierce debate concerning the (lack of) reproducibility of animal models and their relevance for human inflammatory diseases. Despite evident advancements in searching for alternatives, that is, replacing, reducing, and refining animal experiments-the three R's of Russel and Burch (1959)-understanding the complex interactions of the cells of the immune system, the nervous system and the affected tissue/organ during inflammation critically relies on in vivo models. Consequently, scientific advancement and ultimately novel therape…