Probing the gastrointestinal immune function using transgenic and knockout technology

The ability to introduce a specific inheritable modification into the genome of mice has made possible the study of the function of a particular gene in vivo. This is especially helpful in the study of complex regulatory systems and has already given insights into regulation specific to the gastrointestinal immune system. What has been learned so far indicates that the gut-associated lymphoid tissue, although similar in basic mechanisms to its systemic counterpart, is more sensitive to dysregulation, This sensitivity may be a consequence of the need of the gut to maintain a delicate balance between response and anergy due to its constant exposure to foreign antigens, thus requiring the use of distinct regulatory mechanisms.