Transgenic mice expressing surface markers for IFN-γ and IL-4 producing cells

The detection of T(H)1-type and T(H)2-type cells directly in situ would be of great value in the study of T-H development and function in vivo. Transgenic mice expressing human Thy1 and mouse Thy1.1 under the control of the murine IFN-gamma and IL-4 promoters, respectively, have been generated. The hThy1(+) cells represent (with some temporal lag) most of the IFN-gamma-producing CD4(+) T-cells, while the mThy1.1(+) cells represent only a percentage of IL-4 secreting cells. This may be due to mono-allelic expression of the IFN-gamma and IL-4 genes. Since permeabilization is not required for the detection of the transgenic surface markers, these transgenic mice can facilitate the detection of T(H)1-type and T(H)2-type cells by how cytometry with surface immunofluorescent staining. These surface markers should permit isolation of viable cells according to their T-H type for adoptive transfer experiments, and may serve as a model system for tracing the development of T(H)1 and T(H)2-type cells in vivo. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.