Infection of IL5 transgenic mice with Mesocestoides corti induces very high levels of IL5 but depressed production of eosinophils.

Transgenic mice expressing interleukin 5 (IL5) have been demonstrated to show a lifelong high level eosinophilia. These mice were produced using a construct in which the dominant control region (DCR) of the human CD2 gene was ligated to a 10-kb fragment containing the mouse IL5 gene. The construct allows the expression of the IL5 gene under the control of its own promoter, but the DCR ensures constitutive expression by all T cells. Infection of these transgenic mice with Mesocestoides corti, which is itself a potent inducer of eosinophilia, increases serum IL5 to very high levels. This demonstrates that the transgenes retain inducibility, which is a feature of the endogenous gene. However, despite the high levels of IL5, the numbers of eosinophils in the blood, marrow, and spleen decrease during the period 1-4 weeks after infection. Furthermore, there is a decrease in eosinophil precursors, as assessed by the capacity of bone marrow to produce eosinophils in culture. After this decrease eosinophils return to their previous high levels, although the levels of IL5 remain high. These results suggest that a control mechanism is operating to limit the numbers of eosinophils produced. This control appears to act at the level of the precursor production and may not be directly related to the high levels of IL5.