Il2 Mouse Models

Why Model Il2

Il2 is the mouse ortholog of human IL2 and encodes interleukin-2, a cytokine produced mainly by activated T cells. IL-2 signals through receptors containing the IL-2 receptor alpha, beta, and gamma chains and has been associated with proliferation and regulation of T cells, including effector and regulatory T-cell populations.

IL-2-based agents are used in cancer and are under study in autoimmune disease, where high- and low-dose approaches have different effects; engineered IL-2 variants aim to bias these responses. Il2-deficient mice are viable and develop immune dysregulation, consistent with a role in immune homeostasis.

Model Applications

Humanized IL2 models, in which the human cytokine replaces the mouse counterpart, have been used to evaluate IL-2-based agents and engineered IL-2 variants in defined experimental settings.

Il2 knockout mice have been used to study T-cell regulation and tolerance.

Custom Il2 Model Options

Engineered to your specifications, with molecular validation of the targeted allele and germline transmission guaranteed.

• Conventional knockout
• Conditional knockout
• Point mutation / knockin
• Reporter knockin
• Humanized
• Targeted transgenic

Sources

• Safety of adoptive therapy with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and high-dose IL-2 in advanced cutaneous melanoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Oncol. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.annonc.2025.04.001
• Taniguchi T et al. Structure and expression of a cloned cDNA for human interleukin-2. Nature. 1983. doi:10.1038/302305a0

Last reviewed: October 22, 2026 · Reviewed by: Paul Sheiffele

Related gene targets: Il2ra · Il2rb · Il2rg · Foxp3