<i>Il12b</i>, interleukin 12 beta, encodes the 40 kD cytokine receptor-like subunit of interleukin 12, a cytokine secreted by activated macrophages and important in the development and maintenance of memory/effector Th1 cells in long term immune responses to intracellular pathogens.  CBA/J inbred mice are more susceptible to schistosomiasis, developing a more severe perioval granulomatous inflammation when compared to the C57BL/6 inbred strain.  These mice carry a targeted mutation of <i>Il12b</i>, interleukin 12 beta, in which part of exon 3 is replaced by a PGK-Neo cassette. No bioactive IL-12 protein is detected by ELISA analysis of schistosome egg- or LPS-stimulated dendritic cells derived from the bone marrow of homozygotes.  Schistosome-infected homozygotes exhibit reduced granulomatous inflammation (smaller granuloma size, reduced serum aspartate aminotransferase level) and produce lower levels of IL17 and IFNG when compared to wildtype controls.  The Donating Investigator reports that although homozygotes are viable, homozygous females are difficult to breed.  During back-crossing, the Y chromosome was not fixed to the CBA/J genetic background.

These IL-12p40-deficient CBA mice exhibit less severe hepatic inflammation in response to schistosome infection when compared to wildtype controls, and have applications in studies related to the Th17 cell immune response to parasitic infection.

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