Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Il-23 Produced By Cns-Resident Cells Controls T Cell Encephalitogenicity During The Effector Phase Of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis, Burkhard Becher, Brigit G. Durell, Randolph J. Noelle

Dartmouth Scholarship

CNS-resident cells, in particular microglia and macrophages, are a source of inflammatory cytokines during inflammation within the CNS. Expression of IL-23, a recently discovered cytokine, has been shown to be critical for the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice. Expression of the p40 subunit of IL-12 and IL-23 by microglia has been shown in situ and in vitro, but direct evidence for a functional significance of p40 expression by CNS cells during an immune response in vivo is still lacking. Here we report that p40 plays a critical role in maintaining encephalitogenicity during the disease course. By using …