Peripheral lymphoid development and function in TCR mutant mice

We describe the development and function of the peripheral lymphoid system of mutant mice rendered deficient in either alpha beta or gamma delta T cells via targeting of TCR genes in embryonic stem cells. In the spleen of alpha beta T cell-deficient mice, gamma delta T cells do not compensate in numbers for the lack of alpha beta T cells, but B cells do. alpha beta T cell-deficient mice are unable to mount an antibody response to ovalbumin and do not reject skin allografts. Natural killer cell function is not impaired in any of the mutant mice. TCR mutant mice will prove useful in dissecting differential functions of alpha beta and gamma delta T cells in vivo.