Mice selected for the maximum acute inflammatory reaction (AIRmax) are highly susceptible to pristane-induced arthritis (PIA), whereas mice selected for the minimum response (AIRmin) are resistant. These lines show distinct patterns of leukocyte infiltration and R and S allele frequency disequilibrium of the solute carrier family 11a member 1 (Slc11a1) gene. In order to study the interactions of the Slc11a1 R and S alleles with the inflammation modulating Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) during PIA development, homozygous AIRmax RR , AIRmax SS , AIRmin RR and AIRmin SS lines were produced by genotype-assisted breedings. These mice received two intraperitoneal injections of 0.5 ml pristane at 60-day intervals, and the subsequent development of arthritis was assessed for 210 days. Cytokine-secreting cell profiles were investigated using enzyme-linked immunospot. Arthritis incidence in AIRmax RR mice reached 29%, whereas PIA incidence in AIRmax SS mice was 70% by day 180. AIRmin RR mice were resistant, whereas 13.3% of AIRmin SS mice became arthritic. The presence of the defective S allele also increased arthritis severity, although acute inflammation was higher in mice bearing the R allele. A predominant Th0/Th2-type response in Slc11a1 SS mice was observed. These results indicate that Slc11a1 is a strong candidate for the QTL modulating acute inflammation and for PIA.

The intensity of nonspecific immune reaction and the host resistance to facultative intracel-lular pathogens are found to be associated in lines of mice selected for maximal (AIRmax) or minimal (AIRmin) acute inflammatory reactivity. AIRmax are more resistant than AIRmin mice to Salmonella typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes infection, the differences between lines in LD 50 being G 1000 and 100 times, respectively. This difference was shown to be related to the initial bacterial containment at the infectious focus, and to the control of bacterial multiplication in the spleen during the 1st week after s. c. inoculation of the bacteria. Specific immune responses were not deeply affected by the selective process: antibody production and delayed-type hypersensitivity were both of similar intensity in AIRmax and AIRmin mice. The differential susceptibility to infection seems independent of the Nramp-1 locus polymorphism; therefore, these two lines represent a powerful model for investigating the role of other genetic loci regulating the nonspecific immunity effectors in the course of infectious diseases.

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Two outbred mouse lines, phenotypically selected for differential subcutaneous (s.c.) acute inflammatory response (AIR), were analysed for urethane-induced lung inflammatory response and susceptibility to lung tumorigenesis. AIR min mice, which show a low response to s.c. acute inflammation, developed a persistent subacute lung inflammatory response and a 40-fold higher lung tumor multiplicity than did AIR max mice, which are selected for high response to s.c. acute inflammation and showed a transient lung inflammatory response. A highly significant linkage disequilibrium pattern was observed in AIR max and AIR min mice at marker alleles located within a 452-kb pulmonary adenoma susceptibility 1 (Pas1) locus region, thus defining the location of gene candidacy for inflammatory response and for the biological effects of Pas1 in this region. AIR min and AIR max mice segregated by descent the Pas1 s and Pas1 r alleles, respectively, providing evidence for the involvement of the Pas1 locus in the inflammatory response. The 452-kb region contains Kras2 and four additional genes, including the lymphoidrestricted membrane protein (Lrmp) gene, whose ProLeu nonconservative variation was linked with inflammatory response and Pas1 allelotype. These results provide a model to explore the mechanism underlying inherited predisposition to lung cancer in the context of a link to inflammation.

Material Supplementary 8.DC1http://www.jimmunol.org/content/suppl/2010/07/06/jimmunol.100035