An extensive phenotypic characterization of the hTNFalpha transgenic mice.
BMC Physiol
; 7: 13, 2007 Dec 10.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-18070349
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) is implicated in a wide variety of pathological and physiological processes, including chronic inflammatory conditions, coronary artery disease, diabetes, obesity, and cachexia. Transgenic mice expressing human TNFalpha (hTNFalpha) have previously been described as a model for progressive rheumatoid arthritis. In this report, we describe extensive characterization of an hTNFalpha transgenic mouse line.RESULTS:
In addition to arthritis, these hTNFalpha transgenic mice demonstrated major alterations in body composition, metabolic rate, leptin levels, response to a high-fat diet, bone mineral density and content, impaired fertility and male sexual function. Many phenotypes displayed an earlier onset and a higher degree of severity in males, pointing towards a significant degree of sexual dimorphism in response to deregulated expression of TNFalpha.CONCLUSION:
These results highlight the potential usefulness of this transgenic model as a resource for studying the progressive effects of constitutively expressed low levels of circulating TNFalpha, a condition mimicking that observed in a number of human pathological conditions.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Fenótipo
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Camundongos Transgênicos
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Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa
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Modelos Animais de Doenças
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2007
Tipo de documento:
Article