ADOPTIVE TRANSFER An experimental method in which lymphocytes from an antigen-primed donor mouse are introduced into a recipient mouse that lacks lymphocyte function.
ATOPIC DERMATITIS A chronic skin disease in which the skin becomes extremely itchy and inflamed, causing redness, swelling, cracking, weeping, crusting and scaling. Its multifactorial pathogenesis involves genetic susceptibility, environmental triggers and immune dysregulation (typically dominated by T helper 2 cells), with the involvement of immunoglobulin E contributing to its classification as an atopic disease.
CROHN DISEASE Together with ulcerative colitis, Crohn disease is one of the two main forms of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It most commonly affects the lower portion of the small intestine, resulting in symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fever and weight loss. Analysis of the strong genetic predisposition led to the identification of mutations in the Nod2 gene that are particularly strongly associated with ileal disease, but not with ulcerative colitis.
DENDRITIC EPIDERMAL T CELLS (DETCs). 
T-cell receptor (TCR)+ cells localized in the epidermis that are present in rodents and cattle, but not in humans. In mice, essentially all DETCs express precisely the same TCR, forming a prototype lymphocyte repertoire of limited diversity.
FAS LIGAND–FAS A pair of ligand–receptor molecules of the tumour-necrosis factor (TNF)–TNF-receptor family, the engagement of which usually induces apoptosis of the FAS-expressing cell. So, this is a mode of cytolysis effected by FASL+ cells.
FVB/N An inbred mouse strain that is increasingly favoured for analyses because of its vigorous reproductive performance and consistently large litters. Fertilized FVB/N eggs contain large and prominent pronuclei, which facilitates microinjection of DNA and efficient transgenesis.
MRL/LPR MICE A strain of mice that spontaneously develop glomerular nephritis and other symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus ('lupus'). The lpr mutation causes a defect in Fas, preventing the apoptosis of activated lymphocytes; the MRL strain contributes disease-associated mutations that have yet to be identified.
MYOCARDITIS An inflammatory disease of the heart that can be induced by various microbial and viral infections. The acute form of the disease seldom leads to lasting damage, but the chronic form can lead to fatal cardiomyopathy. A considerable part of the pathology seems to be a direct result of dysregulated activities of T helper 1 cells and CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
NON-OBESE DIABETIC (NOD). A mouse strain that normally develops idiopathic autoimmune diabetes that closely resembles type 1 diabetes in humans. The target antigen(s) that is recognized by the pathogenic CD4+ T cells that initiate disease is expressed by pancreatic islet cells, but its identity has remained elusive.
PSORIASIS A chronic skin disease affecting 1–2% of the population, in which the skin becomes inflamed, producing red, thickened areas with silvery scales, most often on the scalp, elbows, knees and lower back. Recent evidence points to a T-cell-mediated pathogenesis in genetically susceptible individuals, resulting in inflammation and epidermal hyperplasia.
SEVERE COMBINED IMMUNODEFICIENCY Mice of this phenotype lack functional T and B cells owing to a spontaneous mutation in the Prkdc gene (protein kinase, DNA activated, catalytic polypeptide) located on chromosome 16. These mice are often used for the reconstitution of T-cell subsets to study their functions in vivo in the absence of any other lymphocyte subsets.
