Interleukin-6 promotes pulmonary emphysema associated with apoptosis in mice

Abstract

The IL-6 cytokine family, which signals via the shared gp130 coreceptor, is linked with the pathogenesis of emphysema. However, the definitive mechanisms by which these cytokines cause emphysema remain ill-defined. We took an in vivo genetic complementation approach to identify the specific IL-6 cytokine family members and gp130-regulated cellular processes that cause emphysema. We used gp130 F/F mice homozygous for a subtle knock-in mutationing p130 that deregulates intracellular signalingby the IL-6 cytokine family. The gp130 F/F mice spontaneously develop emphysema by age 6 months. Within the IL-6 cytokine family, only IL-6 was significantly up-regulated in the lungs of gp130 F/F mice, an..