This book presents the proceedings from the Serono Symposia USA international symposium on Genetic Models of Immune and Inflammatory Diseases, held from October 20 to 23, 1994, in Savannah, Georgia. The introduction of gene manipulation techniques in mice, such as germline gene introduction and targeted gene disruption through homologous recombination, has equipped scientists with powerful analytical tools across various disciplines. Notably, transgenic and gene knockout technologies have significantly advanced the understanding of lymphocyte development and activation. The symposium aimed to unite researchers employing these genetic techniques to analyze the immune system, focusing on common themes and innovative directions. Transgenic mice serve numerous critical roles in immunology, allowing for the expression of defined proteins in specific tissues throughout development, thus mimicking "self" antigens. These models facilitate the investigation of immune responses to these artificially created antigens. Additionally, antigen receptors of lymphocytes can be expressed as transgenes, resulting in monospecific transgenic mice due to the unique property of allelic exclusion. Immunomodulatory agents can also be expressed in targeted tissues or throughout the body, enabling the study of the effects of dysregulated expression of biological response modifiers.
