IL-4 induces allergic-like inflammatory disease and alters T cell development in transgenic mice
We have assessed the biologic role of IL-4 by fusing its gene to an immunoglobulin promoter/enhancer and introducing it into transgenic mice. By attenuating the transgene promoter though the insertion of E. coli lac operator sequences, we have created a series of animals that constitutively express...
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Published in | Cell Vol. 62; no. 3; pp. 457 - 467 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Cambridge, MA
Elsevier Inc
10.08.1990
Cell Press |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | We have assessed the biologic role of IL-4 by fusing its gene to an immunoglobulin promoter/enhancer and introducing it into transgenic mice. By attenuating the transgene promoter though the insertion of E. coli
lac operator sequences, we have created a series of animals that constitutively express varying amounts of IL-4. Overexpression of IL-4 results in a marked increase in serum IgE levels and the appearance of an inflammatory ocular lesion (blepharitis) with characteristic histopathologic features seen in allergic reactions. In addition, expression of the IL-4 transgene in the thymus perturbs T cell maturation, reducing the population of immature CD4
+CD8
+ thymocytes and peripheral T cells while increasing the population of mature CD8
+ thymocytes. These results demonstrate that deregulation of a single cytokine gene in vivo can induce a complex inflammatory reaction resembling that observed in human allergic disease. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 |
ISSN: | 0092-8674 1097-4172 |
DOI: | 10.1016/0092-8674(90)90011-3 |