Transgenic mice in apoptosis research

Transgenic mice have proved to be a valuable tool in various aspects of apo ptosis research. They are particularly useful for studying apoptosis-relate d gene products in primary cells which may lead to different effects from s imilar experiments using immortalized cell lines. They allow the impact of these gene products on multi-faceted physiological processes to be identifi ed. Transgenic mice have been generated expressing molecules ranging from B cl-2 and Bcl-2 family members to CD95, superoxide dismutase and rhodopsin. This review details some of the insights revealed from such studies in dive rse areas ranging from lymphoid development to neurodegeneration and effect s on intracellular signalling.