Nude mouse

Nude mouse is a type of laboratory mouse which has a genetic mutation that causes a deteriorated or absent thymus, resulting in an inhibited immune system due to a greatly reduced number of T cells. The phenotype, or physical expression of the gene, is a lack of body hair which gives it the "nude" nickname. The nude mouse is valuable to research because it can receive many different types of tissue and tumor grafts, as it mounts no rejection response. These grafts give scientists a chance to study the biology of the human cancer cells in a living organism.

History

The first nude mouse was born in 1962 at Ruchill Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland, in a colony of mice being bred for research by Dr. Roderick Bron. The mouse was discovered by a lab technician, and its hairless condition was found to be due to a mutation in the FOXN1 gene. This gene is responsible for the development of the thymus, an organ that produces T cells for the immune system. The lack of a functional thymus makes the mouse unable to reject foreign tissue, making it an ideal model for research on cancer, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases.

Characteristics

Nude mice are characterized by their lack of body hair and an inhibited immune system. The absence of hair is due to a genetic mutation in the FOXN1 gene, which also results in a deteriorated or absent thymus. The thymus is an organ that produces T cells for the immune system. Without a functional thymus, the mouse has a greatly reduced number of T cells, leading to an inhibited immune system.

Use in research

Nude mice are valuable in research because they can receive many different types of tissue and tumor grafts, as they mount no rejection response. This allows scientists to study the biology of the human cancer cells in a living organism. The mice are also used in research on autoimmune diseases and infectious diseases.

See also

• Laboratory mouse
• Immunodeficiency
• Thymus
• T cell

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