Transgenic mice offer a unique tool for studying normal and pathological states associated with expression, overexpression, or misexpression a particular gene. Aberrant expression of genes believed to be involved in disease can be easily achieved with the well-established transgenic methodologies. The resulting transgenic mice often may be used as models for studying diseases associated with the respective gene. We have developed a line of transgenic mice that expresses a modified form of matur human interleukin (IL)-1beta in the ocular lens. The afflicted mice exhibi a progressive inflammation of the eye and neovascularization of many eye tissues resulting in the eventual destruction of the eye. IL-1beta messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein have been detected at high levels in the eye. There is upregulation of vascular adhesion molecules an significant influx of inflammatory cells, predominantly macrophages. A systemic unresponsiveness to IL-1-mediated events has been observed in these mice.
