Transgenic mice expressing surface markers for IFN-gamma 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 flow 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.