Using mouse models to study function of transcriptional factors in T cell development

Lab mice are invaluable tools in modern biomedical research because of its short generation time, small size and prolificacy in breeding. A pure genetic background of the inbred mouse strain greatly improves the reproducibility of experiments, as individuals from the same mouse strain are genetically identical. Currently, all the common inbred strains in labs have been inbred for at least 80 generations since their original isolation; thus the genomes of all siblings of the same inbred line are essentially identical [1]. These inbred mouse strains provide good platforms for studying the immune system and modeling human immune disease [2-4]. In thymus, hematopoietic cells undergo several developmental processes to give rise to variety of T subsets which is one of the central players in orchestrating immune responses. Rothenberg and Taku Naito have reviewed a combination of transcription factors, including E2A, GATA3 and TCF1, which are essential to initiate T cell differentiation program [5]. However the key factor of T lineage specification and commitment in vivo is to be understood. Recently, Bcl11b, a transcriptional factor, was identified to be essential for T cell development and for the maintenance of T cell identity [6-8]. Deletion of Bcl11b in T cells can cause these cells to reprogramme into NK cells in mice [6]. Our goal here is to give an introduction on the function of transcriptional factors, especially Bcl11b, in T cell developmentA most breakthrough advantage of using the mouse to study the immune system and to model human disease is the availability of a range of genetic technologies. In 1981, several groups produced transgenic mice by injecting transgenic DNA into mouse pronuclei [9,10]. Importantly, DNA introduced into the mouse genome by this method results in establishment of the transgene in the germ line. This technology offers scientists the opportunities to perform gain-of-function studies for specific genes in the mouse model. Currently, DNA