| First Author | Yokota Y | Year | 1999 |
| Journal | Nature | Volume | 397 |
| Issue | 6721 | Pages | 702-6 |
| PubMed ID | 10067894 | Mgi Jnum | J:53267 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1331587 | Doi | 10.1038/17812 |
| Citation | Yokota Y, et al. (1999) Development of peripheral lymphoid organs and natural killer cells depends on the helix-loop-helix inhibitor Id2. Nature 397(6721):702-6 |
| abstractText | Transcription factors with a basic helix-loop-helix (HLH) motif have been shown to be crucial for various cell differentiation processes during development of multicellular organisms. Id proteins inhibit the functions of these transcription factors in a dominant-negative manner by suppressing their heterodimerization partners through the HLH domains. Members of the Id family also promote cell proliferation, implying a role in the control of cell differentiation. Here we show that Id2 is indispensable for normal development of mice. Id2-/- mice lack lymph nodes and Peyer's patches. However, their splenic architecture is normal, exhibiting T-cell and B-cell compartments and distinct germinal centres. The cell population that produces lymphotoxins, essential factors for the development of secondary lymphoid organs, is barely detectable in the Id2-/- intestine. Furthermore, the null mutants show a greatly reduced population of natural killer (NK) cells, which is due to an intrinsic defect in NK-cell precursors. Our results indicate that Id2 has an essential role in the generation of peripheral lymphoid organs and NK cells. |
