Astrocytic IL-6 Influences the Clinical Symptoms of EAE in Mice
by
Maria Erta 1,2, Mercedes Giralt 1,2, Silvia Jiménez 1, Amalia Molinero 1,2
, Gemma Comes 1,2 and Juan Hidalgo 1,2,*
Maria Erta 1,2, Mercedes Giralt 1,2, Silvia Jiménez 1, Amalia Molinero 1,2, Gemma Comes 1,2 and Juan Hidalgo 1,2,*
1
Department of Cellular Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Animal Physiology Unit, Faculty of Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
2
Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Donna Gruol
Brain Sci. 2016, 6(2), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci6020015
Received: 12 February 2016 / Revised: 27 April 2016 / Accepted: 10 May 2016 / Published: 17 May 2016
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Neuroimmunology)
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine that not only plays major roles in the immune system, but also serves as a coordinator between the nervous and endocrine systems. IL-6 is produced in multiple cell types in the CNS, and in turn, many cells respond to it. It is therefore important to ascertain which cell type is the key responder to IL-6 during both physiological and pathological conditions. In order to test the role of astrocytic IL-6 in neuroinflammation, we studied an extensively-used animal model of multiple sclerosis, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), in mice with an IL-6 deficiency in astrocytes (Ast-IL-6 KO). Results indicate that lack of astrocytic IL-6 did not cause major changes in EAE symptomatology. However, a delay in the onset of clinical signs was observed in Ast-IL-6 KO females, with fewer inflammatory infiltrates and decreased demyelination and some alterations in gliosis and vasogenesis, compared to floxed mice. These results suggest that astrocyte-secreted IL-6 has some roles in EAE pathogenesis, at least in females.
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Keywords:
interleukin-6; astrocyte; EAE
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MDPI and ACS Style
Erta, M.; Giralt, M.; Jiménez, S.; Molinero, A.; Comes, G.; Hidalgo, J. Astrocytic IL-6 Influences the Clinical Symptoms of EAE in Mice. Brain Sci. 2016, 6, 15.
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