The inflammatory response in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis is redirected from the spinal cord to the cerebellum in transgenic mice with astrocyte production of IL-6

Interleukin (IL)-6 is essential for the induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for multiple sclerosis. Recent studies further demonstrated that IL-6 is involved in the generation of Th17 T-cells, which mediate the tissue damage during EAE. To further clarify the role of IL-6 in EAE, we examined transgenic mice with astrocyte and predominantly cerebellar but not spinal cord production of IL-6 (GF-IL6) after active immunization with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG). MOG-immunized (Mi-) GF-IL6 mice developed severe ataxia but no clinical signs of spinal inflammation,…