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. 1994 Jan 18;91(2):614–618. doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.2.614

Chronic active hepatitis in transgenic mice expressing interferon-gamma in the liver.

T Toyonaga 1, O Hino 1, S Sugai 1, S Wakasugi 1, K Abe 1, M Shichiri 1, K Yamamura 1
PMCID: PMC42999  PMID: 8290572

Abstract

Interferon-gamma may play an important role in the immune response and in inflammatory diseases, including chronic active hepatitis. To understand the role of interferon-gamma in the regulation of inflammation and to establish a mouse model of chronic active hepatitis, we produced transgenic mice in which the mouse interferon-gamma gene was regulated by a liver-specific promoter, the serum amyloid P component gene promoter. Four transgenic mouse lines were generated, and two of these lines expressed mRNA of interferon-gamma in the liver. Levels of serum transaminases increased gradually as a function of age and were significantly higher than those of interferon-gamma-negative littermates after 4 weeks after birth. One transgenic mouse line showed a histology of chronic active hepatitis similar to that found in human patients, although cirrhotic changes such as fibrosis were scarce. Thus, the liver-specific production of interferon-gamma is sufficient to induce chronic inflammatory disease and this mouse is a transgenic model of chronic active hepatitis.

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Selected References

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