Sr. Ruuls et al., Membrane-bound TNF supports secondary lymphoid organ structure but is subservient to secreted TNF in driving autoimmune inflammation, IMMUNITY, 15(4), 2001, pp. 533-543
Mice without secreted TNF but with functional, normally regulated and expre
ssed membrane-bound TNF (memTNF(Delta/Delta) mice) were created by knocking
-in the uncleavable Delta1-9,K11E TNF allele. In contrast to TNF-deficient
mice (TNF-/-), memTNF supported many features of lymphoid organ structure,
except generation of primary B cell follicles. Splenic chemokine expression
was near normal. MemTNF-induced apoptosis was mediated through both TNF-R1
and TNF-R2. That memTNF is suboptimal for development of inflammation was
revealed in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Disease severity was
reduced in memTNF(Delta/Delta) mice relative to wild-type mice, and the na
ture of spinal cord infiltrates resembled that in TNF-/- mice. We conclude
that memTNF supports many processes underlying lymphoid tissue structure, b
ut secreted TNF is needed for optimal inflammatory lesion development.