Endogenous transforming growth factor beta 1 suppresses inflammation and promotes survival in adult CNS.

Transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1) is a pleiotropic cytokine with potent neurotrophic and immunosuppressive properties that is upregulated after injury, but also expressed in the normal nervous system. In the current study, we examined the regulation of TGFbeta1 and the effects of TGFbeta1 deletion on cellular response in the uninjured adult brain and in the injured and regenerating facial motor nucleus. To avoid lethal autoimmune inflammation within 3 weeks after birth in TGFbeta1-deficient mice, this study was performed on a T- and B-cell-deficient RAG2-/- background. Compared with wild-type siblings, homozygous deletion of TGFbeta1 resulted in an extensive inflammatory response in otherwise uninjured brain parenchyma. Astrocytes increased in GFAP and CD44 immunoreactivity; microglia showed proliferative activity, expression of phagocytosis-associated markers [alphaXbeta2, B7.2, and MHC1 (major histocompatibility complex type 1)], and reduced branching. Ultrastructural analysis revealed focal blockade of axonal transport, perinodal damming of axonal organelles, focal demyelination, and myelin debris in granule-rich, phagocytic microglia. After facial axotomy, absence of TGFbeta1 led to a fourfold increase in neuronal cell death (52 vs 13%), decreased central axonal sprouting, and significant delay in functional recovery. It also interfered with the microglial response, resulting in a diminished expression of early activation markers [ICAM1 (intercellular adhesion molecule 1), alpha6beta1, and alphaMbeta2] and reduced proliferation. In line with axonal and glial findings in the otherwise uninjured CNS, absence of endogenous TGFbeta1 also caused an approximately 10% reduction in the number of normal motoneurons, pointing to an ongoing and potent trophic role of this anti-inflammatory cytokine in the normal as well as in the injured brain.

Use of an exon-trapping vector for the evaluation of splice-site mutations.

Prediction of the effects of splice-site variations by sequence analysis is difficult. In this study we provide the means for a rapid evaluation of the potential for splice-site mutations to interfere with RNA processing. The system may be useful in reverse genetics or mapping studies when isolation and characterization of mRNA is arduous or not possible. In the assay we cloned wild-type and mutant sequences of murine splice-site mutations into an exon-trapping vector and characterized splicing of both recombinant transcripts in a transient cell culture system. Results from this artificial assay were compared with in vivo data from the respective mouse models. We found that the exon-trapping system allows one to confidently predict whether a splice-site variation is going to have a splicing effect in vivo, but the system does not always reflect in vivo splicing in detail. In summary, the exon-trapping system is a reliable and easy-to-use tool for a first evaluation of splice effects.