Mice that are homozygous for the targeted mutation are viable, fertile, normal in size and do not display any gross physical or behavioral abnormalities. These mice possess loxP sites on either side of exon 6 of the targeted gene. RT-PCR analysis reveals that exon 7 is not expressed in the floxed mice, and Southern blots confirm that 1.6kb of exon 7 was deleted during homologous recombination. When these mutant mice are bred to mice that express Cre recombinase, the resulting offspring will have exon 6 and exon 7 deleted in the cre-expressing tissue(s). According to the donating investigator, homozygotes exhibit reduced incidence and severity of induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) when compared to wildtype controls. This mutant mouse strain may be useful in studies of multiple sclerosis (MS) and inflammatory diseases.
NOTE: Stock No. 008008 mice are on a unique "SJL/R" genetic background; the "SJL/R" strain was maintained by the Erasmus Medical Center (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) as a unique substrain of SJL that showed more favorable responses to EAE induction.
NOTE: On a 129/Sv genetic background, homozygotes are resistant to trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis.
