IL-4 Knockout Mice

Abstract

The pleiotropic cytokine interleukin-4 is a major regulator of the immune system. It has a multitude of biological effects, and participates in protective as well as in pathological responses. IL-4 can affect a variety of cells in multiple ways by regulating antibody production, hematopoiesis, the development of effector T-helper cell responses, and inflammatory responses. Therefore, IL-4-deficient mice are a powerful tool to assess the role of IL-4 in vivo in different experimental animal models. Here we review studies using genetically different strains of IL-4-deficient mice infected with a variety of parasites and assess the importance of the genetic background of the mice. In addition, we discuss the biological importance of IL-4 in targeting class switching to particular classes in B-cells and in different models of allergic asthma. Finally, a possible role of IL-4 as an immunoregulatory cytokine is discussed.