Laboratory mice strain information
Common Inbred mice strains and their pathology
C57BL/6 (B6) mice:
Gold standard background strain for GEM's, genome of this strain has been fully sequenced. B6 mice were initially bred for their longevity. Their melanism is manifested by their coat colour. melanin pigment in heart valves, splenic capsule and meninges.
Spontaneous diseases: Hydrocephalus, hippocampal neurodegeneration, microphtalmia, anophtalmia, age-related cochlear degeneration (hearing loss), malocclusion and pulmonary proteinosis.
Common neoplasms: Lymphoma (especially B-cell), haemangiosarcoma, and pituitary adenoma (especially prolactin-secreting cells)
BALB/c mice:
Albinos. Mature males are rather pugilistic.
Spontaneous diseases: Dystrophic epicardial mineralisation of the right ventricular free wall, myocardial degeneration, auricular thrombosis, corneal opacities, hypocallosity (corpus callosus hypoplasia or even aplasia), age-related hearing loss.
BALB mice are markedly ressistant to amyloidosis.
Common neoplasms: Lung adenomas, lymphoma, Harderian gland tumours, myoepitheliomas of salivary, preputial, and other exocrine glands and adrenal adenomas.
C3H/He mice:
Agouti (brown) mice that are blind due to rd1 mutation in the Pde6b gene.
Spontaneous diseases: Focal myocardial and skeletal mineralisation and myocardial degeneration, alopecia areata (females more than males).
Common neoplasms: They are more susceptible to exogenous murine mammary tumours virus (MMTV)-induced mammary tumours and develop a relatively high incidence of mammary neoplasia later in life due to endogenous MMTV. Other common tumours include hepatocellular tumours.
129 mice:
Represent the most frequent source of embryonic stem cells (ES cells). The 129 mouse is not a single strain, and in fact the "129" is represented by 16 recognised strains and substrains.
Spontaneous diseases: Hypocallosity, megaoesophagus, pulmonary proteinosis and epithelial hyalinosis, blepharitis, and conjunctivitis.
Common neoplasms: Testicular teratomas, lung tumours, Harderian gland tumours, ovarian tumours, and haemangiosarcomas.
FVB/N mice:
Inbred swiss mice, they are blind due to homozygosity of rd1 allele (Pde6b gene).
Spontaneous diseases: Seizures, mammary hyperplasia
Common neoplasms: Tumours of the lung, pituitary gland, Harderian gland, and liver. Also lymphomas and pheochromocytomas.
References
- Brayton, C., Justice, M. and Montgomery, (2001) Evaluating Mutant Mice: Anatomic Pathology. Vet Pathol 38: 1-9.
- Percy, D.H., and Barthold, S.W. (2007) Pathology of laboratory rodents and rabbits. Blackwell Publishing. pp. 3-123.