[Expression of cytokine messenger RNA in mice in physiological conditions]

The expression of the cytokine genes was studied under physiological conditions in normal adult mice using RT-PCR method capable of detecting low levels of mRNA. Total RNA was prepared from brain, spinal cord, lung, spleen, liver and kidney of 6 to 8 week-old specific pathogen-free BALB/c mice by acid guanidinium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform (AGPC) method. cDNA was synthesized by M-MLV reverse transcriptase, and amplified using the specific oligonucleotide primers for IL-1, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, TNF-alpha, IFN-alpha, IFN-beta and IFN-gamma by PCR method. Although IL-1 mRNA was detected in all the organs, IL-3 mRNA was not detected in any organs tested. IL-2 or IL-4 mRNA and IL-5 mRNA were produced only in spleen and lung, respectively. However, IL-6, TNF-alpha and IFN mRNA were detected in some different organs. These results suggest that many kinds of cytokine mRNA were produced in vivo under physiological conditions in normal mice.