Susceptibility of newly established mouse strain MPS to Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection

A newly established mouse strain, MPS, which is more sensitive to Mycoplasma pulmonis than ICR, ddY and other mouse strains was examined for its susceptibility to Mycoplasma pneumoniae. In experimental infections with M. pneumoniae, it was observed that M. pneumoniae attached to tracheas of MPS mice, and M. pneumoniae cells were isolated from tracheas and lungs of MPS mice even after four weeks of infection, while no mycoplasmas were isolated from ICR and ddY mice after one week of infection. Specific antibodies against M. pneumoniae were also observed by the Western blotting in the sera of MPS mice infected with M. pneumoniae. Although any lung lesion could not be observed in this work, this newly established mouse strain MPS may be useful for experiments of M. pneumoniae infection, especially for the analysis of strain differences in susceptibility to M. pneumoniae infection.     

Protein-mediated adhesion of Lactobacillus fermentum strain 737 to mouse stomach squamous epithelium

The mechanism of adhesion of Lactobacillus fermentum strain 737 to mouse stomach squamous epithelium was investigated. Adhesion inhibition tests involving chelators, monosaccharides, periodate and concanavalin A and the use of bacteria grown in the presence of tunicamycin failed to clarify the adhesive mechanism. Washed bacterial cells had reduced adhesive capacity, except in the presence of spent broth culture supernatant fraction or cell washings. Spent culture supernatant fractions of erythrosine-supplemented broth did not enhance adhesion of washed cells. The adhesion-promoting factor(s) in the spent broth culture supernatant fractions and cell washings bound to both bacterial and epithelial cell surfaces, but did not promote adhesion of two other Lactobacillus strains which were not of mouse origin, thereby indicating host specificity for the adhesion-promoting activity. Chemical characteristics of the adhesion-promoting factor were determined by pretreatment of the dialysis retentate of spent broth culture supernatant fractions with proteolytic enzymes, concanavalin A-Sepharose or periodate before the adhesion assay. The adhesin was non-dialysable, pronase-sensitive, heat sensitive at 100 degrees C, had no affinity for concanavalin A-Sepharose and contained no carbohydrate groups active in the adhesion process. The protein profiles of dialysis retentates of spent broth culture supernatant fractions after bacterial growth in the absence and presence of erythrosine were determined by 2-dimensional SDS-PAGE. Gel filtration by HPLC was used for purification of an adhesion-promoting fraction. The host-specific adhesion of L. fermentum strain 737 was mediated by a protein, with an Mr of 12-13000, that was not detectable in cells grown in the presence of erythrosine. A model for the mode of binding of the adhesin to host epithelia and bacterial surfaces is proposed.     

Hydronephrosis in the inbred mouse strain DDD

The inbred mouse strain DDD was found to have an extremely high incidence of hydronephrosis (37/37 in adult males and 12/32 in adult females). The hydronephrosis was classified as open with no definite cause for obstruction. The condition was either unilateral in the right kidney or bilateral. Another feature of the hydronephrotic kidney was circulatory failure. Hydronephrosis in strain DDD mice is considered to be a useful experimental animal model with additional possible use, in investigating disturbances of renal haemodynamics and function.     

Allergen-induced airway disease is mouse strain dependent

We investigated the development of airway hyperreactivity (AHR) and inflammation in the lungs of nine genetically diverse inbred strains of mice [129/SvIm, A/J, BALB/cJ, BTBR+(T)/tf/tf, CAST/Ei, C3H/HeJ, C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, and FVB/NJ] after sensitization and challenge with ovalbumin (OVA). At 24, 48, and 72 h post-OVA exposure, the severity of AHR and eosinophilic inflammation of the mouse strains ranged from relatively unresponsive to responsive. The severity of the airway eosinophilia of some strains did not clearly correlate with the development of AHR. The temporal presence of T helper type 2 cytokines in lung lavage fluid also varied markedly among the strains. The levels of IL-4 and IL-13 were generally increased in the strains with the highest airway eosinophilia at 24 and 72 h postexposure, respectively; the levels of IL-5 were significantly increased in most of the strains with airway inflammation over the 72-h time period. The differences of physiological and biological responses among the inbred mouse strains after OVA sensitization and challenge support the hypothesis that genetic factors contribute, in part, to the development of allergen-induced airway disease.     

A collaborative database of inbred mouse strain characteristics

A database and website (MPD: Mouse Phenome Database) have been developed to serve as a consolidated home for mouse strain characterization data being generated by the scientific community. Physiological, anatomical and behavioral data are being collected and integrated into a common framework for tabulation by strain and sex. Genotypic data are being collected as well. The current focus is on a set of 40 inbred strains. The MPD as of February 2004 contains approximately 500 phenotypic parameters relevant to human health, voluntarily contributed by several dozen investigators and laboratories. AVAILABILITY: www.jax.org/phenome     

Gene-environment interactions differentially affect mouse strain behavioral parameters

Systematic phenotyping of mouse strains and mutants generated through genome-wide mutagenesis programs promises to deliver a wealth of functional genetic information. To this end, the appropriation of a standard series of phenotyping protocols is desirable to produce data sets that are consistent within and across laboratories and across time. Standard phenotyping protocols such as EMPReSS (European Mouse Phenotyping Resource for Standardised Screens) provide a series of protocols aimed at phenotyping multiple body systems that could realistically be adopted and/or reproduced in any laboratory. This includes a series of neurologic and behavioral screens, bearing in mind that this class of phenotype is well represented in targeted mutants and mutagenesis screens. Having cross-validated screening batteries in a number of laboratories and in a number of commonly used inbred strains, our group was interested in establishing whether subtle changes in cage environment could affect behavioral test outcome. Aside from unavoidable quantitative differences in test outcome, we identified significant and distinct genotype-environment-test interactions. For example, specific strain order in open-field center entries and total distance traveled can be reversed depending on the form of enrichment used, while prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response is, even quantitatively, unaffected by the enrichment condition. Our findings argue that unless systematically recorded, behavioral studies conducted under subtle variations in cage environment may lead to data misinterpretation, although this could be limited to particular behaviors. Further investigations into the extent and limits of genetic and environmental variables are critical for the realization of both behavioral and functional genomics endpoints.     

Host mouse strain is not selective for a laboratory adapted strain of Schistosoma mansoni

We genotyped pooled adult worms of Schistosoma mansoni from infected CF1, C57BL/6, BALB/c, and BALB/c interferon gamma knockout mice in order to establish if mouse strain differences selected for parasite genotypes. We also compared differentiation in eggs collected from liver and intestines to determine if there was differential distribution of parasite strains in the vertebrate host that might account for any genotype selection. We found that mouse strains with differing immune responses did not differ in resistance to infection and did not select for parasite genotypes. Schistosoma mansoni egg allele frequencies were also equally distributed in tissues and the difference between adult and egg allele frequencies was negligible.