title: Generation and analysis of interleukin-4 deficient mice.
abstract: Interleukin-4 (IL-4) promotes the growth and differentiation of many hematopoietic cells in vitro; in particular, it directs the immunoglobulin (Ig) class switch to IgG1 and IgE. Mice homozygous for a mutation that inactivates the IL-4 gene were generated to test the requirement for IL-4 in vivo. In the mutant mice T and B cell development was normal, but the serum levels of IgG1 and IgE were strongly reduced. The IgG1 dominance in a T cell-dependent immune response was lost, and IgE was not detectable upon nematode infection. Thus, some but not all of the in vitro properties of IL-4 are critical for the physiology of the immune system in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kühn
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rajewsky
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D003208:Concanavalin A; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D013154:Spleen / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D003208:Concanavalin A; D015847:Interleukin-4; D004247:DNA