Analysis of the immune system with transgenic mice: B cell development and lymphokines

Abstract

Over the last decade transgenic mice expressing genes relevant for the immune system have been generated. Transgenic expression of immunoglobulin heavy and/or light chain genes of different isotypes and different specificities have helped to better understand phenomena relevant to B cell development such as allelic exclusion of immunoglobulins and B cell tolerance. Transgenic mice expressing interleukin genes have also been used to study the ways of action of these important growth and differentiation factors in the context of the mouse immune system.