Abstract
Cytokines are potent regulatory molecules secreted by cells of the immune system upon activation. During the last 3 years we have analyzed the in vivo functions of two cytokines, namely interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), using targeted disruption of these cytokine genes in embryonic stem cells and introduction of these mutations into the mouse germ line. In mice homozygous for the inactivating mutation, one can evaluate in which respect, if any, IL-4 or IL-10 is essential for the development and function of the immune system. As not all cytokine genes are located on one chromosome, one can generate mouse mutants deficient for more than one cytokine. In collaboration with the group of I. Horak, Würzburg, the first mouse mutant deficient for two cytokines, namely IL-2 and IL-4, was generated and analyzed.
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References
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© 1996 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.
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Müller, W. (1996). Cytokine-Deficient Mouse Mutants. In: Abbas, A.K., Flavell, R.A. (eds) Genetic Models of Immune and Inflammatory Diseases. Serono Symposia USA. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2376-4_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2376-4_17
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
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