Establishment of the role of IL-6 and TNF receptor 1 using gene knockout mice

• Published in: Journal of leukocyte biology 1994-11, Vol.56 (5), p.565-570
• Main Authors: Bluethmann, Horst, Rothe, Joachim, Schultze, Nathalie, Tkachuk, Maria, Koebel, Pascale
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute-Phase Reaction - blood; Acute-Phase Reaction - physiopathology; Animals; Antibodies, Viral - metabolism; B-Lymphocytes - physiology; Bacterial Infections - blood; Bacterial Infections - immunology; Bacterial Infections - physiopathology; cytokines; Galactosamine; gene knockout mice; Immunity, Cellular; Immunoglobulin G - metabolism; Immunoglobulin M - metabolism; Interferon-gamma - physiology; Interleukin-1 - administration & dosage; Interleukin-6 - deficiency; Interleukin-6 - genetics; Interleukin-6 - metabolism; Interleukin-6 - physiology; interleukin‐6; Lethal Dose 50; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus - immunology; Macrophage Activation; Macrophages - metabolism; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor - deficiency; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor - genetics; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor - metabolism; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor - physiology; Shock, Septic - blood; Shock, Septic - physiopathology; TNF receptor 1; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - administration & dosage; Vaccinia virus - immunology; Virus Diseases - immunology
• ISSN: 0741-5400; 1938-3673
• DOI: 10.1002/jlb.56.5.565

Cytokines are known to be key players in host response to infection, immunological disorders, and tissue injury in the attempt of an organism to overcome the insult and restore homeostasis. Another important aspect of cytokines, however, is their normal physiological role during development in the unchallenged organism. The most elegant way to analyze both of these functions is to introduce targeted mutations in embryonic stem cells in order to create new mouse strains deficient for a given cytokine and identify the functions that are consequently impaired or lost, This review summarizes the mutant phenotypes of mice carrying a null mutation in the cytokine IL‐6 gene or the tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (Tnfr1) gene. Results for interferon– and interferon‐γ receptor‐deficient mice are included for comparison. J. Leukoc. Biol. 56: 565–570; 1994.