| First Author | Schorle H | Year | 1991 |
| Journal | Nature | Volume | 352 |
| Issue | 6336 | Pages | 621-4 |
| PubMed ID | 1830926 | Mgi Jnum | J:39989 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:87443 | Doi | 10.1038/352621a0 |
| Citation | Schorle H, et al. (1991) Development and function of T cells in mice rendered interleukin-2 deficient by gene targeting. Nature 352(6336):621-4 |
| abstractText | Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a lymphocytotropic hormone which is thought to have a key role in the immune response of mammalian cells. It is produced by a subpopulation of activated T-lymphocytes and acts in vitro as the principal auto- and paracrine T-cell growth factor (for reviews see refs 1-3). IL-2 is, however, not the sole T-cell growth factor, nor does it act exclusively on T cells, also promoting growth of NK cells and differentiation of B cells. A role for IL-2 in T-cell development has been postulated but remains controversial. Here we test the requirement for IL-2 in vivo using IL-2-deficient mice generated by targeted recombination. We find that mice homozygous for the IL-2 gene mutation are normal with regard to thymocyte and peripheral T-cell subset composition, but that a dysregulation of the immune system is manifested by reduced polyclonal in vitro T-cell responses and by dramatic changes in the isotype levels of serum immunoglobulins. |
