JAX® Mice strain nomenclature update
As an international leader in mouse biology and genetic research, The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) distributes more than 3,500 strains of JAX® Mice. To facilitate the use of JAX® Mice and ensure a common language across multiple disciplines and species, we follow the nomenclature guidelines established by the International Committee on Standardized Genetic Nomenclature for Mice. A key feature of mouse nomenclature is the Laboratory Registration Code (Lab Code) that identifies a particular institution, laboratory, or investigator that produced, and/or may hold stocks of, the mouse strain.
The "J" designation in JAX® Mice strain names (e.g. C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, and BALB/cJ) identifies The Jackson Laboratory as the source of the strain and assures you that the strain is bred according to our gold standard for genetic purity, passing rigorous genetic quality control testing and monitoring prior to distribution.
Many of our strains are distributed from grant-funded resource colonies. Traditionally, the Lab Code of the scientist responsible for developing the strain (e.g. C57BL/6JEi for Dr. Eva Eicher) is used to identify the strain. We are adding the "J" Lab Code to all strains to clearly identify their source (e.g. C57BL/6JEiJ).
Dec. 2003 JAX® Mice strain nomenclature updates (sorted by stock number)
Spreadsheet file (Excel) with above update information
Strain nomenclature guidelines are occasionally modified to facilitate and clarify their use. Two recent changes in gene nomenclature include the elimination of the "mode of insertion" designation (N, H, or R) in transgenic nomenclature, and the elimination of breeding information from the strain name (i.e., deletion of the "/+" from all strains carrying genetic mutation except those held in repulsion). We have updated the strain names of JAX® Mice affected by these changes. Please visit Mouse Genome Informatics Nomenclature page for complete information on the nomenclature guidelines and recent revisions.
We encourage the global scientific community to adhere to these rules for mouse strain nomenclature. Substrains arise when colonies have been separated from their progenitor strains for 20 or more generations, when genetic differences are detected, or when strains are maintained completely independent of the progenitor strain. They are designated as substrains by appending a Lab Code to the end of the strain name. It is important that all successive Lab Codes are accumulated and are indicated in the name to highlight the variability in the strain history. Only through the consistent use of correct nomenclature will scientists be able to accurately document their findings, reliably reproduce experiments, and efficiently communicate with the rest of the scientific community.
The Jackson Laboratory has long served the scientific community by providing the most advanced models of human disease as well as the world's foremost publicly available databases on the laboratory mouse. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work with you and we look forward to serving you in the future.
