Foxn1nu (nude) mice are born with functional but faulty hair growth follicles, resulting in a hairless appearance. These mice are also athymic, and consequently homozygous nude mice lack T cells and suffer from a lack of cell-mediated immunity. They can be used in experiments otherwise requiring thymectomy in mice.
Read More +Genetic Background | Generation |
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000664 C57BL/6J |
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Allele Type | Gene Symbol | Gene Name |
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Spontaneous (Null/Knockout) | Foxn1 | forkhead box N1 |
The two main defects of mice homozygous for the nude spontaneous mutation (Foxn1nu, formerly Hfh11nu) are abnormal hair growth and defective development of the thymic epithelium. Although the mice appear hairless, they are born with functional but faulty hair growth follicles. Hair growth cycles and patterns are evident especially in pigmented mice but the faulty follicles do not allow the hair to properly erupt. Homozygous pups can be identified as young as 24 hours by their lack of whiskers or poorly developed, crinkled whiskers. Nude mice are also athymic caused by a developmental failure of the thymic anlage. Consequently, homozygous nude mice lack T cells and suffer from a lack of cell-mediated immunity. However there is not a defect in T-cell precursors, and under the right conditions some functional mature T cells can be found especially in adult mice. Because of a defect in helper T-cell activity, responses to thymus-dependent antigens when detectable are primarily limited to IgM. Homozygous nude mice show partial defect in B cell development probably due to absence of functional T cells. Other endocrine and neurological deficiencies have been reported. The use of nude mice has reduced the number of thymectomy procedures required in research projects. Females are not effective breeders.Ovulation starts late at 2.5 months and ends early at four months.
For heterozygous mice only, this strain ships with a JAXTagTM affixed. Learn more about JAXTagTM.
View Flow Cytometry Characterization Data for Immunodeficient JAX Strains.
The Foxn1nu mutation was first recorded by Dr. N.R. Grist at the Virus Laboratory, Ruchill Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland. The mutation arose in a mouse stock that was closed but not inbred. The first seven backcrosses onto BALB were made using BALB/cN and the strain was imported to The Jackson Laboratory from NIH in 1975. It was bred brother (nu/nu) by sister (nu/+) for three generations before adopting the pattern of crossing a nu/nu male to a C57BL/6J female every other generation. The stock was cryopreserved in 1984 by mating nu/nu males at N14F1 to C57BL/6J females.
Allele Name | nude |
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Allele Type | Spontaneous (Null/Knockout) |
Allele Synonym(s) | Foxnlnu; hairless; nu; Whn- |
Gene Symbol and Name | Foxn1, forkhead box N1 |
Gene Synonym(s) | |
Strain of Origin | albino stock |
Chromosome | 11 |
Molecular Note | A single base pair (G) deletion in exon 3 introduces a frameshift and a premature stop codon. The encoded protein is predicted to terminate upstream of the DNA-binding domain. |
The immunodeficiencies of homozygous Foxn1nu make them highly susceptible to infection by pathogens and opportunistic organisms. Consequently, they should be maintained in pathogen- and opportunist-free environments. Using proper housing techniques can increase the lifespan of nude to one similar to that of normal littermates. Culling extra normal littermates may increase the survival rate of the homozygous Foxn1nu. However, do not decrease litter size below five (or it may cause a decrease in lactation of nursing female). This strain is now maintained using ovarian transplantation. Homozygotes can be distinguished from heterozygous siblings by whisker formation.
When using the B6.Cg-Foxn1nu/J mouse strain in a publication, please cite the originating article(s) and include JAX stock #000819 in your Materials and Methods section.
Service/Product | Description | Price |
---|---|---|
Heterozygous or Wild-type for Foxn1<nu> |
Frozen Mouse Embryo | B6.Cg-Foxn1<nu>/J | $2595.00 |
Frozen Mouse Embryo | B6.Cg-Foxn1<nu>/J | $2595.00 |
Frozen Mouse Embryo | B6.Cg-Foxn1<nu>/J | $3373.50 |
Frozen Mouse Embryo | B6.Cg-Foxn1<nu>/J | $3373.50 |
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The Jackson Laboratory has rigorous genetic quality control and mutant gene genotyping programs to ensure the genetic background of JAX® Mice strains as well as the genotypes of strains with identified molecular mutations. JAX® Mice strains are only made available to researchers after meeting our standards. However, the phenotype of each strain may not be fully characterized and/or captured in the strain data sheets. Therefore, we cannot guarantee a strain's phenotype will meet all expectations. To ensure that JAX® Mice will meet the needs of individual research projects or when requesting a strain that is new to your research, we suggest ordering and performing tests on a small number of mice to determine suitability for your particular project. We do not guarantee breeding performance and therefore suggest that investigators order more than one breeding pair to avoid delays in their research.
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