Figure 7.

The comparative effect of activated wild-type and Tnfα/Tnfβ−/− knockout murine Mφ on apoptosis of mesangial cells primed with IFN-γ. Mesangial cells were primed as described for 24 hours in the presence of IFN-γ (300 U/ml). Co-culture was established using bone marrow-derived Mφ from either Tnfα/Tnfβ−/− knockout mice or wild-type littermate controls and activated with IFN-γ (100 U/ml) plus LPS (1 μg/ml) in the presence of L-NIL (30 μmol/L) to block NOS 2-mediated killing. Experiments were assayed after 24 hours. Although the wild-type Mφ were able to induce mesangial cell apoptosis, the knockout animals incapable of inducing apoptosis greater than that seen in control wells. **, P < 0.01 compared with wild-type co-culture (n = 5).