ALS/LtJ

Stock number: 003072
Strain synonyms: Alloxan Susceptibility
Research areas: Diabetes and Obesity Research, Metabolism Research, Neurobiology Research, Research Tools, Sensorineural Research

Description

ALS/LtJ and ALR/LtJ (Stock No. 003070) inbred strains are useful for a wide range od studies including type 1 and type 2 diabetes, obesity, metabolism and toxicology research. Treatment of alloxan or streptozotocin causing pancreatic beta cell destruction, leads to severe hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia in ALS/LtJ mice. Alloxan-untreated ALS/Lt males exhibit impaired glucose tolerance when tested by intraperitoneal administration of glucose, and become hyperinsulinemic . ALS/LtJ mice contain genes predisposing to both experimentally-induced type 1 and spontaneously-developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. ALS/Lt mice exhibit significantly lower antioxidant defenses than do ALR/Lt. ALS/Lt is a useful control strain for comparing inbred strain susceptibility to free radical-mediated damage.

Detailed description

ALS/LtJ and ALR/LtJ (Stock No. 003070) inbred strains are of interest to investigators across a wide range of scientific disciplines including type 1 and type 2 diabetes, obesity, metabolism and toxicology research. Treatment of alloxan or streptozotocin causing pancreatic beta cell destruction, leads to severe hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia in ALS/LtJ mice. ALR/LtJ mice are resistant to these toxins. By 34 weeks of age, both untreated ALS/Lt and ALR/Lt males fed a 6% fat-containing chow diet attain a mean body weight of around 50 grams. Genome wide scan comparison shows that ALS/LtJ mice are more closely related to NON/ShiLtJ mice (they share the H2^nb1 haplotype) than to NOD/ShiLtJ. Like two other ICR-derived inbred strains selected in Japan (NON and NSY), alloxan-untreated ALS/Lt males exhibit impaired glucose tolerance when tested by intraperitoneal administration of glucose. However, unlike NON/ShiLt males, which exhibit impaired glucose tolerance in the presence of low plasma insulin concentrations, alloxan-untreated ALS/LtJ males become hyperinsulinemic by 10 weeks of age and maintain hyperinsulinemia as they age. Four untreated males and three females in a research colony have spontaneously developed type 2 diabetes between nine to 32 weeks of age (EH Leiter, unpublished observations). ALS/LtJ mice thus contain genes predisposing to both experimentally-inducedtype 1 and spontaneously-developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. Since ALS/Lt mice exhibit significantly lower antioxidant defenses than do ALR/Lt, yet the two strains are closely related, ALS/Lt is a useful control strain for comparing inbred strain susceptibility to free radical-mediated damage.

Development

Alloxan is a pancreatic beta cell-selective toxin that induces diabetes in rodents by generating cytotoxic free radicals. The ALS (alloxan-induced diabetes-susceptible) inbred strain was created in Japan by selective inbreeding of Crj:CD-1 (ICR) mice with selection for susceptibility to diabetes development after administration of alloxan at doses representing the ED50 for the original Crj:CD-1 strain (45 mg/kg in males, 47 mg/kg in females). These dosages are lower than what is necessary to elicit a strong diabetogenic response in most inbred strains, typically 60mg/kg. After a litter was born and weaned, the parents and some of the progeny were alloxan-treated to select for high versus low [ALR (alloxan-induced diabetes-resistant)] incidence lines based on blood glucose levels at 7 days post treatment. ALS and ALR inbred strains were obtained from Japan by Dr. EH Leiter (Lt) at The Jackson Laboratory in 1996. ALS/Lt and ALR/Lt mice were transferred to the production colony in 1998.

Allele

Symbol: Cdh23^ahl
Name: age related hearing loss 1
MGI accession ID: MGI:3028349
Generation method: Spontaneous
Marker symbol: Cdh23
Marker name: cadherin 23 (otocadherin)
Chromosome: 10
Strain of origin: multiple strains
Molecular note: Genetic complementation tests have shown allelism between the mdfw (modifier of deaf waddler) locus and the ahl locus. Further analysis has shown this is caused by a G to A transition at coding nucleotide position 753 of Cdh23 (SNP rs257098870). This hypomorphic allele changes splice donor site G-GT to A-GT, causing frame skipping of exon 7. This is predicted to delete part of the 2nd and 3rd ectodomains and cause reduced message stability. Twenty-seven strains classified with ahl and carrying the 753A allele include: CD-1, RBF/DnJ, PL/J, AKR/J, RF/J, BALB/cBy, A/WySnJ, P/J, SENCARA/PtJ, DBA/1J, ALS/LtJ, C58/J, C57BLKS/J, 129P1/ReJ, C57BR/cd, SKH2/J, BUB/Bn, MA/MyJ, LP/J, 129X1/SvJ, NOR/LtJ, A/J, C57BL/6, NOD/LtJ, DBA/2J, ALR/LtJ, C57L/J. Strains classified with ahl that DO NOT carry this mutation include: 129S1/SvImJ, C3H/HeSnJ, I/LnJ, YBR/Ei, MRL/MpJ.

Allele

Symbol: Gnat2^cpfl3
Name: cone photoreceptor function loss 3
MGI accession ID: MGI:3588845
Generation method: Spontaneous
Marker symbol: Gnat2
Marker name: guanine nucleotide binding protein, alpha transducing 2
Chromosome: 3
Strain of origin: various
Molecular note: A single nucleotide substitution of G to A at coding nucleotide 598 in exon 6. This mutation converts codon 200 from aspartic acid to asparagine (p.D200N).
General note: This allele has been detected in the following strains either by genotyping or complementation testing: ALS/LtJ, SENCARA/PtJ, SENCARB/PtJ, SENCARC/PtJ, PN/nBSwUmabJ. (J:122428) The allele has also been reported in NMRI and CD1 (Lluis Montoliu, J:212307)

Allele

Symbol: mt-Tr^m1
Name: mutation 1
MGI accession ID: MGI:3831887
Generation method: Spontaneous
Marker symbol: mt-Tr
Marker name: mitochondrially encoded tRNA arginine
Chromosome: MT
Strain of origin: various
Molecular note: The adenine repeat in the D stem is polymorphic with 10 adenines in this allele.
General note: This polymorphism is present in A/J, NZB/B1NJ, ALS/Lt and NOD/ShiLtJ. A variant with 9 adenines is found in NOD/ShiLtDvs, ALR/Lt and SKH2/J.