Patent ID: 7135612

Claim:
A transgenic mouse whose somatic and germ cells express an Fkh sf transgene comprising a nucleic acid molecule that comprises a nucleotide sequence encoding an Fkh sf polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 operably linked to a Fkh sf promoter effective for the expression of the Fkh sf polypeptide, wherein proliferation of T lymphocytes that are obtained from the transgenic mouse expressing the Fkh sf transgene is reduced when compared to proliferation of T cells obtained from a normal mouse, wherein the expression of said Fkh sf transgene results in a reduction in number of lymphoid cells in a lymph node and wherein the expression of said Fkh sf transgene results in reduction in T-Lymphocyte responsiveness to stimulation through CD28 receptors compared to T-Lymphocyte responsiveness of T-Lymphocytes from a normal mouse.