Anti-STAT6 CTL activity in Stat6^−/− mice

Abstract

The generation of germline gene mutations in mice has been an invaluable tool for experimental biology. However, studying immune responses that develop in the absence of a specific protein that could alter thymic selection complicates experimental interpretations. We observed that CD8⁺ T cells from Stat6^−/− mice displayed “autoreactivity” to STAT6-expressing cells, associated with specific STAT6 peptides binding to MHC class I molecules. These results suggest caution in interpreting experiments where STAT6-expressing cells are transferred into Stat6^−/− mice, or where adoptive transfer of Stat6^−/− lymphocytes is performed. Our results further highlight additional considerations when studying immune responses involving cell transfer into gene-deficient mice.

Keywords: :

• STAT6
• cytotoxic T cell
• autoreactivity
• MHC class I
• chromium release

Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest

No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Diana Fuqua and Lucy Shuck for animal care, and Rachel Gahagan and Daniel Walsh for help with figure generation. This work was supported in part by American Cancer Society Grant IRG 161-L.