The production of two Th2 cytokines, interleukin-4 and interleukin-10, is controlled independently by locus Cypr1 and by loci Cypr2 and Cypr3, respectively

• Published in: Immunogenetics (New York) 1999, Vol.49 (2), p.134-141
• Main Authors: Kosarová, M, Havelková, H, Krulová, M, Demant, P, Lipoldová, M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: AIDS/HIV; Animals; Chromosome Mapping; Crosses, Genetic; Cypr1 locus; Cypr2 locus; Cypr3 locus; Female; Gene Expression Regulation - immunology; Genetic Linkage - immunology; Genetic Markers - immunology; Genotype; Interleukin-10 - biosynthesis; Interleukin-10 - genetics; Interleukin-4 - biosynthesis; Interleukin-4 - genetics; Male; Mice; Mice, Congenic; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Th2 Cells - metabolism
• ISSN: 0093-7711; 1432-1211
• DOI: 10.1007/s002510050472

The strains BALB/cHeA (BALB/c) and STS/A (STS) differ in production of IL-4 and IL-10, two Th2 cytokines, after stimulation of spleen cells with Concanavalin A, STS being a low and BALB/c a high producer. We analyzed the genetic basis of this strain difference using the recombinant congenic (RC) strains of the BALB/c-c-STS/Dem (CcS/Dem) series. This series comprises 20 homozygous strains. Each CcS/Dem strain contains a different, random set of approximately 12. 5% genes of the "donor" strain STS and approximately 87.5% of the "background" strain BALB/c. We selected for further analysis the RC strain production intermediate between BALB/c and STS. In (CcS-20xBALB/c)F2 hybrids we found that different loci control expression of IL-4 and IL-10. Cypr1 (cytokine production 1) on chromosome 16 near D16Mit15 controls IL-4 production, whereas the production of IL-10 is influenced by loci Cypr2 near D1Mit14 and D1Mit227 on chromosome 1 and Cypr3 marked by D5Mit20 on chromosome 5. In addition, the relationship between the level of these two cytokines depends on the genotype of the F2 hybrids at a locus cora1 (correlation 1) on chromosome 5. This differential genetic regulation may be relevant for the understanding of biological effects of T-helper cells in mice of different genotypes.