T cells, but not B cells, are required for bowel inflammation in interleukin 2-deficient mice

Abstract

Interleukin-2 (IL-2)-deficient (IL-2(-/-)) mice develop anemia and colonic inflammatory bowel disease. To elucidate the mechanism of this disease, we have bred IL-2(-/-) mice to two strains of immunodeficient mice, RAG-2- deficient (RAG-2(-/-), lacking B and T cells) and JH-deficient mice (JH(-/- ), lacking B cells), IL-2(-/-), RAG-2(-/-) double-mutant mice are disease free, while IL-2(-/-), JH(-/-) double-mutant mice succumb to bowel disease at the same rate as IL-2(-/-) littermates. IL-2(-/-), JH(-/-) mice do not, however, succumb to anemia. Thus, spontaneous intestinal inflammation in IL- 2(-/-) mice requires mature T cells, not B cells, while anemia is dependent on B cells.