The genetic mapping of a defective LPS response gene in C3H/HeJ mice.

The expression of a defective LPS response gene Lps and the major urinary protein (Mup-1) are concordantly inherited in backcross (C3H/HeJ x C57BL/6J)F1 x C3H/HeJ mice, indicating genetic linkage of these loci. Mup-1 is known to be linked to the brown coat color locus on chromosome 4 in mice; thus Lps can now be assigned to chromosome 4. A value of 0.06 +/- 0.02 has been estimated for the recombination frequency between Mup-1 and Lps. We have used the polysyndactyly (Ps) mutation further to localize Lps on chromosome 4. Lps is located between the Mup-1 and Ps loci.     

Cutting edge: functional characterization of the effect of the C3H/HeJ defect in mice that lack an Lpsn gene: in vivo evidence for a dominant negative mutation

A point mutation in the Tlr4 gene, which encodes Toll-like receptor 4, has recently been proposed to underlie LPS hyporesponsiveness in C3H/HeJ mice (Lpsd). The data presented herein demonstrate that F1 progeny from crosses between mice that carry a approximately 9-cM deletion of chromosome 4 (including deletion of LpsTlr4) and C3H/HeJ mice (i.e., Lps0 x Lpsd F1 mice) exhibit a pattern of LPS sensitivity, measured by TNF activity, that is indistinguishable from that exhibited by Lpsn x Lpsd F1 progeny and whose average response is "intermediate" to parental responses. Thus, these data provide clear functional support for the hypothesis that the C3H/HeJ defect exerts a dominant negative effect on LPS sensitivity; however, expression of a normal Toll-like receptor 4 molecule is apparently not required.     

Genetic control of lipopolysaccharide induced generation of serum colony stimulating factor and proliferation of splenic granulocyte/macrophage precursor cells.

Administration of bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) to mice causes a rise in tissue and serum colony stimulating factor (CSF) levels and in bone marrow and splenic colony forming cells (CFC). Two inbred strains of mice differing in their response to LPS were used to study the genetic control of LPS induced granulopoietic responses: a high responder strain (C3H/eB) which reacts to LPS by an elevation in serum CSF and by an increase in splenic CFC levels, and a low responder strain (C3H/HeJ) which fails to show these responses. The ability to generate serum CSF after administration of LPS is controlled by a single autosomal dominant gene, while the splenic CFC response to LPS follows the characteristic patterns of a polygenic inheritance control. The associated relationships of CSF and CFC responsiveness have been investigated in backcross (F1 X C3H/Hej) and F2 mice. Most mice which generated high levels of CSF showed a high or intermediate CFC response and most mice which did not generate any detectable levels of serum CSF showed a low splenic CFC response. The results suggest that CSF may play a physiologic role in vivo as a granulopoietin. In addition it was shown that the genetic control mechanisms governing the CSF/CFC responses are determined by the lipid A-KDO portion of the LPS molecule, suggesting that lipid A is the active part of the LPS molecule in stimulating granulopoiesis.     

LPS regulation of the immune response: Bacteroides endotoxin induces mitogenic, polyclonal, and antibody responses in classical LPS responsive but not C3H/HeJ mice

Recent studies have suggested that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from gram-negative organisms such as Bacteroides, which are not members of the Enterobacteriaceae, stimulate B cells from the classic LPS-hyporesponsive C3H/HeJ mouse. In the present study, purified, phenol-water-extracted LPS from Bacteroides fragilis ATCC 25285 (B-LPS) was tested for its ability to induce in vivo and in vitro responses in classic LPS-responsive C3H/HeN, LPS-hyporesponsive C3H/HeJ, and (C3H/HeN X C3H/HeJ)F1 hybrid mice. B-LPS induced mitogenic responses in both C3H/HeN and C3H/HeJ spleen cell cultures when cells were cultured under standard conditions, i.e., 8 X 10(5) cells/well. Interestingly, when lower spleen cell numbers were tested with B-LPS, a typical responsive-nonresponsive pattern developed in which good mitogenic responses were induced by B-LPS in C3H/HeN cultures and in which low responses in C3H/HeJ spleen cell cultures were evident. In vivo immunization of mice with B-LPS resulted in high antibody responses in C3H/HeN, intermediate responses in F1, and low responses in C3H/HeJ mice. When purified splenic B cells were incubated with B-LPS, both mitogenic responses and polyclonal immunoglobulin M (IgM) synthesis occurred in C3H/HeN cultures, whereas intermediate responses were noted in F1 cultures and no response was seen in B cell cultures from C3H/HeJ mice. Furthermore, in vitro TNP-B-LPS responses were induced in C3H/HeN spleen cells or purified B cell cultures, and intermediate anti-TNP PFC responses occurred in F1 spleen cells or purified B cell cultures. The toxicity of B-LPS was tested in galactosamine-sensitized mice. The LD50 values for B-LPS in classic LPS-responsive C3H/HeN and C57BL/6J mice were 0.6 microgram and 1.1 microgram, respectively; F1 hybrid mice were approximately 15-fold more resistant, whereas C3H/HeJ mice gave an LD50 of 1650 micrograms. This study shows that phenol-water preparations of B-LPS are biologically active and induce responses in the classic LPS-responsive but not in the LPS-hyporesponsive C3H/HeJ mouse strain.     

LPS regulation of the immune response: separate mechanisms for murine B cell activation by lipid A (direct) and polysaccharide (macrophage-dependent) derived from Bacteroides LPS

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from Bacteroides fragilis has been reported to stimulate mitogenic responses in spleen cell cultures from the classical LPS-hyporesponsive C3H/HeJ mouse strain; however, we have shown that purified splenic B cells from C3H/HeJ mice are hyporesponsive to phenol-water extracted LPS from B. fragilis ATCC 25285 (B-LPS). In the present study, B-LPS and its purified lipid A and polysaccharide components were tested for their ability to induce mitogenic and polyclonal IgM synthesis in spleen cell and purified splenic B cell cultures from classical LPS-responsive and -hyporesponsive mice. Mitogenic responses to B-LPS and E. coli K235 LPS(Ph) of whole spleen cells (2 X 10(5) cells/culture) or purified B cells (5 X 10(5) cells/culture) from classical LPS-responsive mouse strains (C3H/HeN, BALB/c, C57BL/6J, C57BL/10Sn, and DBA/2), F1 mice (derived from crosses between LPS responsive and C3H/HeJ mice), and classical LPS-hyporesponsive mice (C3H/HeJ and C57BL/10ScN) were high, intermediate, and low, respectively. When a higher number of whole spleen cells (5 X 10(5) cells/well) were cultured, B-LPS induced high mitogenic responses in C3H/HeN, intermediate responses in F1, and lower but significant responses in C3H/HeJ cultures. Similar results were obtained when polyclonal IgM synthesis was assessed in cultures containing 1 X 10(6) cells/culture. In contrast, the purified lipid A component of B-LPS failed to induce mitogenic responses in either whole spleen or purified B cell cultures. The addition of purified splenic B cells from C3H/HeJ mice to C3H/HeN or C3H/HeJ splenic adherent cells resulted in mitogenic responses to B-LPS, implying that the hyporesponsiveness to B-LPS seen in whole spleen cell cultures from C3H/HeJ mice at the lower cell concentration was due to limiting numbers of M phi. When splenic B cells and M phi from either C3H/HeN or C3H/HeJ mice were incubated with the lipid A or the polysaccharide moiety of B-LPS, lipid A induced mitogenic responses only in C3H/HeN cultures, whereas the polysaccharide moiety induced similar responses in both C3H/HeN and C3H/HeJ cultures. These results suggest that Bacteroides lipid A does not stimulate B cells from the classical LPS-hyporesponsive C3H/HeJ mouse strain, whereas the polysaccharide moiety of B-LPS is biologically active and mediates B cell stimulation via M phi.     

Association of Lps gene with natural resistance of mouse macrophages against Legionella pneumophila.

Peritoneal macrophages obtained from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-low responder C3H/HeJ mice (J) permitted the intracellular growth of the bacterium in macrophages of (J x N) F1 progeny was between the parent strains, showing that the traits were co-dominantly expressed. Correlation between intracellular bacterial growth in macrophages and LPS response of spleen cells was examined. Negative correlation was found between the two factors in F2, (J x F1) backcross and (N x F1) backcross progeny. This result implies that Lps gene controls the innate resistance of murine macrophages against the bacteria. Although macrophages of A/J strain also permit intracellular growth of L. pneumophila, gene complementation analysis of A/J and C3H/HeJ mice made clear that the gene control in C3H/HeJ differs from that of A/J strain. Macrophages of C57BL/10ScN, which is LPS-low responder line obtained from C57BL/10, were also defective in controlling the bacterial growth when compared to C57BL/10 mice. We suggest that the Lps gene also controls the natural resistance of murine macrophages against L. pneumophila.     

Genetic and biochemical evidence for the involvement of a bacterial component in the mitogenic properties of polyribonucleotides on murine B lymphocytes.

The mitogenic response of C3H/HeJ mice to the B cell mitogens, poly C and poly I, is approximately one-half the response measured in various LPS-responder strains. C3H/HeJ mice respond normally to poly I:C, the heteroduplex polymer. The low responder phenotype of C3H/HeJ mice to poly C and poly I is shown by an analysis of (C3H/HeJ x C57BL/6J-By-Ps)F1 X C3H/HeJ backcross progeny to result from a gene locus that is closely linked or identical to the defective LPS response locus expressed by the C3H/HeJ strain. The entire mitogenic activity in poly C preparations and most of the mitogenic activity in poly I preparations is insensitive to ribonuclease degradation. Hot aqueous phenol extraction of the polynucleotides separates the majority of the mitogenic activity that is soluble in the combined interface and phenol phase fraction from the aqueous soluble polynucleotides. The ribonuclease-insensitive, phenolsoluble contaminant elicits a reduced response in C3H/HeJ mice as compared to an LPS responder strain. We conclude that 1) poly C has no inherent mitogenic activity; 2) poly I preparations contain both ribonucleasesensitive and insensitive mitogenic activities; 3) the ribonuclease-resistant mitogenic activity in polynucleotide preparations has properties unlike those of LPS or lipid A; and 4) the product of LPS response gene has an effect upon the mitogenic stimulation of spleen cells by the contaminant.     

Macrophage sensitivity to endotoxin: genetic control by a single codominant gene.

The effects of LPS on macrophages in vitro have been examined. LPS triggers macrophages to produce LAF and PGE2 in vitro. LPS is also cytotoxic for macrophages derived from LPS-sensitive mice and will significantly inhibit their phagocytic ability. Both LAF production and cytotoxicity are due to the direct effects of LPS on the macrophage and do not require the particpation of lymphocytes. Each of these functions is abnormal in C3H/HeJ mice. The nature of the gene(s) controlling these macrophage responses to LPS has been determined. The response of (C3H/HeJ X C3H/HeN)F1 macrophages was intermediate when compared to the parental responses and no sex linkage was found. Backcross linkage analysis suggested that the same autosomal codominant gene controls both macrophage and B lymphocyte-LPS sensitivity.     

Mitogenic,immunoadjuvancy, and genetic studies on fatty acyl maltose

Summary Three synthetic glycolipids, maltose tetrapalmitate (MTP), maltose hexastearate (MHS), and maltose hexalinoleate (MHL) prepared as nontoxic lipid A analogs, and Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were assayed for their mitogenic activity using spleen lymphocytes in nine inbred mouse strains and three F1 hybrids. The MTP and LPS were also assayed for their ability to enhance plaque-forming cell (PFC) responses using sheep red blood cells as the antigen in th same inbred mouse strains and F1 hybrids, The mitogenic activity of synthetic glycolipids was several fold lower than that of LPS and MHL was inferior to MTP and MHS. DBA/2J was the most responsive strain for MTP and DBA/1J and C3H/HeJ the least. The mitogenic activity of MTP was generally in agreement with the PFC response stimulation by it. Lowdose cyclophosphamide treatment of mice synergized MTP for PFC response augmentation. Genetic studies on MTP mitogenicity revealed that 90% of responder DBA/2J X nonresponder C3H/HeJ F1 hybrids had intermediate mitogenic activity. Among F2, 73% had intermediate-high activity and 27% were nonmitogenic. Among F1 X C3H/HeJ backcrosses 11% had high, 56% intermediate, and 33% had no mitogenic activity, whereas, for the F1 X DBA/2J backcross, 14% had high, 36% intermediate, and 50% low or negligible activity. The data favored a single gene for MTP activation of immune cells.This work was supported, in part, by a grant from the National Cancer Institute of Canada, and by grant from the Cancer Research Society Inc.     

The physical separation of Lps and Ifa loci in BXH recombinant inbred mice

Several reports in the literature suggest that many of the phenotypic defects of LPS-hyporesponsive C3H/HeJ mice may be attributed to decreased IFN production by their macrophages. The physical proximity on chromosome 4 of the gene which encodes sensitivity to LPS (Lps) and the structural gene cluster which encodes IFN-alpha (Ifa), suggests the possibility that the Lps gene, whose product is unknown, may actually be a part of the Ifa gene cluster. The C57BL/6J and C3H/HeJ mouse strains carry distinct alleles at both the LPs and the Ifa loci. In this study, we have analyzed these parental strains, as well as 12 recombinant inbred strains derived from these parental strains (e.g., BXH strains), for inheritance of these distinct alleles. The results show the segregation of these two loci: in 5 of 12 BXH RI strains, the IFN-alpha restriction fragment length polymorphism characteristic of one parental strain was discordant with the predicted LPS response phenotype. Therefore, we conclude that the Lps and the Ifa genes are physically distinct despite the apparent cause and effect relationship which is observed phenotypically.     

Mapping of theLyb-4 gene to different chromosomes in DBA/2J and C3H/HeJ mice

Linkage has been established between the Lyb-4 alloantigen locus and the chromosome 4 markersLyb- 2 andMup- 1 using recombinant inbred (RI) strains. Only 2 of 24 BXD RI strains possess recombinant genotypes with respect to the B cell alloantigen lociLyb- 4 andLyb- 2, for an estimated recombination frequency of 0.024 ±0.019. One additional BXD RI strain was a recombinant with respect toLyb- 4 andMup- 1 (major urinary protein locus) for an estimated recombination frequency of 0.039 ± 0.026. These linkages were confirmed and further quantitated in a (C57BL/6J × DBA/2J)F₁ × C57BL/6J backcross population, in which the recombination frequency betweenLyb- 4 andMup- 1 was 0.049 ± 0.019. No recombination between the expression of Lyb-4.1 antigen and the ability of anti-Lyb-4.1 serum to suppress MLC reactivity was found, indicating that the genes controlling the antigenic determinant which is recognized with cytotoxic antibodies in anti-Lyb-4.1 serum is the same as, or is very closely linked to, the gene which is responsible for augmentation of the MLC response. In contrast, no linkage was observed between the gene controlling the Lyb-4.1 determinant andMup- 1 in RI strain and backcross mice derived from the cross of C3H/HeJ and C57BL/6J. Again, there was complete concordance between the serologically recognized determinant and the ability of anti-Lyb-4.1 serum to suppress the MLC response. Absorption of anti-Lyb-4.1 serum with C3H/HeJ, DBA/2J, and C57BL/6J lymphocytes, followed by the cytotoxic assay of the absorbed sera on lymphocytes of each of these three strains showed that serologically the Lyb-4.1 antigenic determinant on DBA/2 mice was indistinguishable from that on C3H/HeJ mice. Thus, both traits appear to be under the control of single genes in both DBA/2J and C3H/HeJ, but the C3H/HeJ gene appears to be nonallelic and unlinked to the DBA/2J gene.Abbreviations used in this paper LAD lymphocyte activating determinants - LPS lipopolysaccharide - MLC mixed lymphocyte culture - RI recombinant inbred     

Variation among mouse strains in responsiveness to migration inhibitory factor.

Mineral oil-induced peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) from 10 different inbred mouse strains were tested for their responses to macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). PEC from 5 out of 10 mouse strains responded to MIF, PEC from BALB/c mice showed an intermediate responsiveness, and PEC from A/J, C3H/HeJ, CBA/N, and C57BL/10ScCR mice were refractory to MIF. MIF responsiveness was not linked to the H-2 complex. However, a possible link between responsiveness to LPS and MIF was suggested, since the mouse strains not responding to MIF were previously reported to be deficient for responses to LPS.     

Dominant low responsiveness in the IgG response of mice to the complex protein antigen type 1 fimbriae from Actinomyces viscosus T14V.

Type 1 fimbriae from Actinomyces viscosus T14V, composed of a complex protein of Mr 65,000, mediate the adherence of A. viscosus T14V to the host, whereas type 1 fimbriae-specific antibodies inhibit adherence. Genetic control of the serum IgG response to type 1 fimbriae was evaluated in a series of inbred, hybrid, recombinant inbred, and back-cross mice. Mice were given i.p. injections of 10(8) A. viscosus T14V cells in saline on days 0 and 14, and IgG anti-type 1 fimbriae in sera obtained on day 26 were measured by ELISA. Segregation analysis of the responses of (BALB/cJ x A/J)F1 x A/J backcross mice suggested polygenic control. Linkage analysis in (BALB/cJ x A/J)F1 x A/J backcross and SWXL recombinant inbred mice suggested control by genes linked with H-2 and with Ly-17 and Akp-1. In several F1 hybrid strains derived from H-2-disparate high and low responder parental strains, low responsiveness was dominant. The F1 derived from the H-2-identical high and low responder strains CBA/J and C3H/HeJ was a low responder, suggesting that dominant low responsiveness was mediated by non-H-2-linked genes. A three-gene model is proposed for regulation of the type 1 fimbriae response, including an MHC-linked gene, a gene linked with Ly-17 and Akp-1 on the telomeric portion of chromosome 1, and a background gene whose linkage is unknown.     

Expression of airway hyperreactivity to acetylcholine as a simple autosomal recessive trait in mice

An increased airway response to various bronchoconstricting agents is one of the hallmarks of asthma. An interdependence of heredity and environment appears to determine this nonspecific hyperreactivity of the airways. The present study describes the patterns of inheritance of the airway response to a direct mediator of smooth muscle contraction (acetylcholine) in A/J and C3H/HeJ inbred mice and their offspring. The mean airway response to acetylcholine was greater than sixfold higher in A/J mice as compared with C3H/HeJ mice. Two phenotypes were easily distinguished on the basis of airway responses to acetylcholine in the progeny of A/J and C3H/HeJ mice. These two phenotypes were termed HYPERREACTIVE (after the A/J strain) and HYPOREACTIVE (after the C3H/HeJ strain). The observed frequencies of HYPERREACTIVE and HYPOREACTIVE phenotypes in the (A/J x C3H/HeJ) F1; (C3H/HeJ x A/J) F1 x C3H/HeJ (C3H/HeJ backcross); and the [(A/J x C3H/HeJ) F1 x (C3H/HeJ x A/J) F1] F2 are consistent with a single autosomal recessive gene primarily controlling acetylcholine-mediated airway responses. This single gene difference in airway response is completely inhibited by atropine and therefore mediated entirely by the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor.     

Genetic control of eosinophilia in parasitic infections: Responses of mouse strains to treatment with cyclophosphamide and parasite antigen

, and 1988. Genetic control of eosinophilia in parasitic infections: responses of mouse strains to treatment with cyclophosphamide and parasite antigen. International Journal for Parasitology18:1077–1085. Strain-dependent variation in the capacity of inbred and congenic mice to mount an eosinophilia in response to inoculation with the antigens of Mesocestoides corti, Trichinella spiralis or with Limulus haemocyanin (LCH), following pretreatment with cyclophosphamide (CY), is described. SWR, NIH, BALB/c, C3H and SJL mice were eosinophil high responder strains whereas C57 BL/10 and CBA mice were eosinophil low responder strains. Congenic strains with the B10 background (B10.S, B10.G and B10.BR) were all low eosinophil responders, although B10.G mice showed a level of response consistently above the other B10 congenic strains. Some of the gene(s) for high responsiveness appeared to be dominant, because F(In1)hybrids between high and low eosinophil response parental strains were intermediate to high responders. The strain-dependent pattern of eosinophil responsiveness to LHC or to M. corti and T. spiralis antigens, following CY pretreatment, was similar to that obtained previously following infection with either M. corti or T. spiralis, suggesting that heterogeneity in capacity to produce eosinophils operates independently of the nature of the eliciting stimulus.     

Dysfunction of thymocytes of C3H/HeJ mice in blastogenic response to anti-thymocyte serum in vitro and its repair with lipopolysaccharide induced mediator.

In vitro mitogenic responses of thymocytes to rabbit anti-mouse thymocyte serum (ATS) have been compared in several mouse strains. The response of thymocytes of C3H/HeJ mice is about one-third of those of thymocytes of C3H/He, ATL or ATH strains. Phenol-extracted bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) does not induce mitogenic response in cultured C3H/HeJ spleen cells, but the spleen cells of all other strains used are capable of responding to LPS. The low response of C3H/HeJ thymocytes to ATS is restored by adding “endotoxin soup” prepared from spleen cell cultures of LPS-responder mice in the presence of LPS. Neither soup prepared from C3H/HeJ spleen cell cultures without the addition of LPS nor soup prepared from cell cultures with LPS show such restoration of the response of C3H/HeJ thymocytes to ATS. The molecular size of the active factor in “endotoxin soup” was estimated on a Sepharose CL-4B column and determined to be about 20,000 daltons. The activity of “endotoxin soup” is destroyed by heating at 70 C for 30 min or 80 C for 10 min and diminished by digestion with trypsin. The mechanisms of restoration of low response of C3H/HeJ thymocytes to ATS by “endotoxin soup” are discussed.     

Genetic control of immune responses to the 18-kDa protein of Mycobacterium leprae. Different TH1 subsets may be involved in proliferative and delayed-type hypersensitivity responses.

In vitro and in vivo responses to the 18-kDa protein of Mycobacterium leprae have been analysed in different strains of mice. Lymphocytes from BALB/cJ (H-2d), BALB.B (H-2b), B10.BR (H-2k), and B10.M (H-2f) mice primed with 18-kDa protein yielded high T cell proliferative responses, while those from C57BL/10J (H-2b) mice yielded lower responses. Both H-2 and non-H-2 genes contributed to the magnitude of responsiveness. F1 mice from high and low responder strains showed high responsiveness to the 18-kDa protein. Supernatants from lymph node cell cultures prepared from 18-kDa protein-immunised BALB/cJ, B10.BR, and C57BL/10J mice contained IL-2 but no IL-4, indicating that activated T cells from both high and low responder mice were of a TH1 phenotype. Cell cultures from low responder C57BL/10J mice produced less IL-2 than those from high responders. The low responsiveness to the 18-kDa protein in proliferative assays might be due to a low frequency of antigen-specific T cells in the C57BL/10J mouse strain. BALB/cJ, C57BL/10J, and F1 (BALB/cJ x B10.BR) mouse strains were tested for in vivo DTH reactions to the 18-kDa protein. All strains, including C57BL/10J, were high DTH responders. Although DTH effector cells and 18-kDa protein-specific proliferative T cells belong to the TH1 subset, our data comparing high and low responder status indicate that distinct TH1 subpopulations are stimulated in response to the 18-kDa protein of M. leprae.     

Genes other than TLR4 are involved in the response to inhaled LPS

For several decades, the mouse strains C3H/HeJ and C57BL/10ScNCr have been known to be hyporesponsive to endotoxin or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Recently, mutations in Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 have been shown to underlie this aberrant response to LPS. To further determine the relationship between TLR4 and responsiveness to LPS, we genotyped 18 strains of mice for TLR4 and evaluated the physiological and biological responses of these strains to inhaled LPS. Of the 18 strains tested, 6 were wild type for TLR4 and 12 had mutations in TLR4. Of those strains with TLR4 mutations, nine had mutations in highly conserved residues. Among the strains wild type for TLR4, the inflammatory response in the airway induced by inhalation of LPS showed a phenotype ranging from very sensitive (DBA/2) to hyporesponsive (C57BL/6). A broad spectrum of airway hyperreactivity after inhalation of LPS was also observed among strains wild type for TLR4. Although the TLR4 mutant strains C3H/HeJ and C57BL/10ScNCr were phenotypically distinct from the other strains with mutations in the TLR4 gene, the other strains with mutations for TLR4 demonstrated a broad distribution in their physiological and biological responses to inhaled LPS. The results of our study indicate that although certain TLR4 mutations can be linked to a change in the LPS response phenotype, additional genes are clearly involved in determining the physiological and biological responses to inhaled LPS in mammals.     

Differences in antibody production against mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) among mouse strains

Several strains of mice were examined for antibody production after intranasal inoculation with a low virulence strain of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), MHV-NuU. C57BL/6N mice were shown to be high responders in the production of complement fixing (CF) antibody as compared to C3H/HeN, BALB/c-AnN, DBA/2N mice. F1 hybrids B6C3 and BDF1 from C57BL/6N mice, showed CF antibody responses as high as C57BL/6N, suggesting that high responsiveness is genetically controlled. All these mouse strains were able to produce high titred neutralizing antibody to MHV.     

The inheritance of a defective lipopolysaccharide response locus in C3H/HeJ mice

F₁ hybrid mice from crosses between the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) nonresponder strain C3H/HeJ and a variety of LPS responder strains show quantitative or codominant inheritance of mitogenic responsiveness to LPS. Backcross segregation ratios indicate that a defect at a single locus is responsible for the lack of responsiveness in C3H/HeJ mice. Autoradiographic studies show that the number of LPS-responsive cells in F₁ cultures is approximately half the number of responsive cells in parent cultures. Kinetic patterns of mitogenic responsiveness to LPS differ in F₁ hybrid and parent cultures. The kinetic patterns of responsiveness vary with the cell concentrations of the culture and appear to correlate with the number of LPS-responsive cells in F₁ and parent cultures.