TGF-β Knockout and Dominant-Negative Receptor Transgenic Mice

Abstract
Use of homologous recombination and transgenic technologies have provided mouse models to study the physiological roles of the three mammalian TGF-β isoforms, and their regulation in the context of the intact animal. Mice harboring null mutations for TGF-β isoforms demonstrate that each exerts discrete nonoverlapping functions during development. TGF-β1 null mice reveal a crucial role for this cytokine in modulation of the immune system, with evidence for altered development, activation and function of various immune cell populations. New approaches to tissue- and cell-restricted disruption of TGF-β signaling pathways in transgenic mice carrying dominant-negative mutant TGF-β receptors will be discussed.