Abstract: The present invention provides a method for enhancing oral tolerance to an antigen associated with an autoimmune disease in a subject having the autoimmune disease comprising orally administering to the subject an antigen associated with the autoimmune disease and administering an inhibitor of interleukin-12 in amounts sufficient to enhance oral tolerance. Also provided in the present invention is a method for treating or preventing an autoimmune disease in a subject comprising orally administering to the subject an antigen associated with the autoimmune disease and administering an inhibitor of interleukin-12 in amounts sufficient to treat or prevent the autoimmune disease, thereby treating or preventing the autoimmune disease.

Abstract: Three unique control DNA sequences of the glial fibrillary acidic (gfa) protein gene have been identified upstream of its basal promoter that are capable of regulating astrocyte-specific transcription of the human gene for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). One or more of those three regions alone or together with the SV40 early promoter and SV40 enhancer control expression of endogenous or heterologous protein in astrocytes. Transgenic animals expressing amyloid protein can be prepared and used as a model for evaluating Alzheimer's disease. Many heterologous proteins can be expressed in the astrocytes so as to take advantage of the growing list of astrocyte functions. Such proteins include hormones, growth factors, and their receptors. Examples include basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), acidic FGF (aFGF), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), insulin like growth factors 1 and 2 (IGF-1, IGF-2), epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factors .beta.-1 and .beta.-2 (TGF.beta.1, TGF.beta.