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Il21r (interleukin 21 receptor) encodes a type I cytokine receptor for IL21 and is expressed on T, B, and NK cells. It is involved in immunoglobulin production, B cell differentiation, and Th17 differentiation. IL-21R knockout (KO) mice contain a neomycin cassette that replaces the signal peptide through the transmembrane domain resulting in a frameshift mutation. Mice homozygous for the mutation are viable and fertile. When the Il-21R KO allele is backcrossed on to the inbred strain NOD/ShiLtJ, a model for type 1 diabetes, homozygous mice exhibit reduced numbers of Th17 cells, fail to develop lymphocytic infiltration into the pancreas, and develop elevated glucose levels at a much lower percentage than NOD mice (5% compared to 60%). Populations of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, as well as cytokine production, are not altered in homozygotes. This strain may be useful for studying the role of IL21 in type I diabetes.
The IL-21R null allele (Il21rtm1Wjl) was designed by Dr. Warren J. Leonard (National Institutes of Health) with a neomycin resistance cassette replacing several coding exons of the Il21r gene (interleukin 21 receptor) on chromosome 7. Specifically, the sequences encoding the signal peptide through the transmembrane domain were deleted (only 5 amino acids of the signal peptide were retained); this results in a frameshift mutation of the cytoplasmic domain encoding sequence. The targeting vector was electroporated into 129-derived embryonic stem (ES) cells. Correctly targeted ES cells were injected into recipient blastocysts and chimeric mice were bred to wildtype animals to obtain germline transmitting founder mice. In 2004, IL-21R mutant mice backcrossed six generations onto BALB/c were sent to Dr. Derry C. Roopenian (The Jackson Laboratory). There, they were bred with C57BL/6 for at least one generation. Next, the mutant mice were backcrossed with NOD/ShiLtJ for at least 13 generations (N13). Sperm was cryopreserved at N13F13 in 2011.
Received by the Roopenian Lab backcrossed as HD#08-339 from the JAX Serreze Lab. Subsequently donated to the MMRRC.
Ozaki K, Spolski R, Feng CG, Qi CF, Cheng J, Sher A, Morse HC 3rd, Liu C,Schwartzberg PL, Leonard WJ. A critical role for IL-21 in regulatingimmunoglobulin production. Science. 2002 Nov 22;298(5598):1630-4. (Medline PMID: 12446913)
Spolski R, Kashyap M, Robinson C, Yu Z, Leonard WJ. IL-21 signaling iscritical for the development of type I diabetes in the NOD mouse. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Sep 16;105(37):14028-33. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0804358105. Epub 2008 Sep 8. (Medline PMID: 18779574)
Cryo-recovered strains distributed by the MMRRC at JAX are shipped to the customer from the Pathogen & Opportunistic-Free Animal Room G200 - see https://www.jax.org/jax-mice-and-services/customer-support/customer-service/animal-health/health-status-reports.
Limited quantities of breeder mice (recovered litter) are available from a cryoarchive; recovered litter usually available to ship in 3 to 4 months.
Cryopreserved material may be available upon request, please inquire to csmmrrc@jax.org for more information.
Distribution of this strain requires submission of the MMRRC Conditions of Use (COU). A link to the COU web form will be provided via email after an order has been placed; the form should be completed then or the email forwarded to your institutional official for completion.
Additional charges may apply for any special requests. Shipping costs are in addition to the basic distribution/resuscitation fees. Information on shipping costs and any additional charges will be provided by the supplying MMRRC facility.
1 The distribution fee covers the expense of rederiving mice from a live mouse; you will receive the resulting litter. The litter will contain at minimum one mutant carrier; the actual number of animals and the gender and genotype ratios will vary. (Typically, multiple breeder pairs can be established from the recovered litter.) Prior to shipment, the MMRRC will provide information about the animals recovered. If you anticipate or find that you need to request specific genotypes, genders or quantities of mice in excess of what is likely from a resuscitated litter, you may discuss available options and pricing with the supplying MMRRC facility.
2 An aliquot contains a sufficient number of embryos (in one or more vials or straws and based on the transfer success rate of the MMRRC facility) to transfer into one to three recipients. The MMRRC makes no guarantee concerning embryo transfer success experienced in the recipient investigator's laboratory. Neither gender nor genotype ratios are guaranteed.
3 An aliquot is one straw or vial with sufficient sperm to recover at least one litter of mice, as per provided protocols, when performed at the MMRRC facility. The MMRRC makes no guarantee concerning the success of these procedures when performed outside the MMRRC facilities.
4 The distribution fee covers the expense of resuscitating mice from the cryo-archive; you will receive the resulting litter. The litter will contain at minimum one mutant carrier; the actual number of animals and the gender and genotype ratios will vary. (Typically, multiple breeder pairs can be established from the recovered litter.) Prior to shipment, the MMRRC will provide information about the animals recovered. If you anticipate or find that you need to request specific genotypes, genders or quantities of mice in excess of what is likely from a resuscitated litter, you may discuss available options and pricing with the supplying MMRRC facility.