Cytokine gene expression within the central nervous system.

1. The identification of cytokine genes expressed in the central nervous system is critical to understanding the immune network in various diseases of brain, such as infection, degeneration, and malignancy. 2. Expression of cytokine genes in human astrocytoma cell lines and in fresh brain specimens was studied by the reverse-transcribed/polymerase chain reaction method. 3. The correlation between clinical malignancy and cytokine gene expression within malignant glioma was examined, especially regarding the relevancy of inhibitory cytokines, such as transforming growth factor-beta and interleukin-10.