title: Efficient targeting of the IL-4 gene in a BALB/c embryonic stem cell line.
abstract: Embryonic stem (ES) cell lines have been derived from the inner cell mass of day 3.5 blastocysts of the inbred mouse strain BALB/cJ. Twenty-three lines were karyotyped and three were selected for injection into C57BL/6J host blastocysts. Two of the three lines, BALB/c-I and BALB/c-IV, produced germ-line chimaeras. The suitability of the BALB/c-I line for gene targeting experiments was tested by transfecting a targeting construct for the interleukin-4 (IL-4) gene. Transfected BALB/c-I cells exhibited efficient homologous recombination of the targeting vector and transmitted the induced mutation through the germline. This newly-characterized BALB/c-ES cell line thus provides an alternative to the traditional 129-derived and the recently described C57BL/6 embryonic stem cell lines, and will be useful in disrupting genes involved in the immune system. Furthermore, the genetically pure BALB/c IL-4 deficient mice will aid in studying the role of IL-4 in several infectious disease models in which the BALB/c mouse is a susceptible strain.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Insitut für Immunbiologie, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Noben-Trauth
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Köhler
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bürki
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ledermann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D017252:CD3 Complex; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma