ABNORMAL IL-1-BETA CYTOKINE EXPRESSION IN THE CEREBELLUM OF THE ATAXIC MUTANT MICE STAGGERER AND LURCHER

To assess the extent to which interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) may contr ibute to the development and/or progression of neurodegenerative proce sses, we have examined the levels of IL-1 beta in the brain of two typ es of neurological mutant mice, staggerer and Lurcher. Using a quantit ative immunological method (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA), we measured IL-1 beta in the cerebellum, hippocampus and cerebral cor tex of mutant mice at baseline and after peripheral LPS treatment. Two types of IL-1 beta expression abnormalities were found in the mutant cerebella: higher basal level in Lurcher and a response to peripheral administration of LPS in staggerer. The association of IL-1 beta expre ssion abnormalities with the only brain structure where a massive neur odegeneration occurs supports the role of proinflammatory cytokines in this process. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.