DBA/2J, a multipurpose neurological disease model

JAX® NOTES Issue 512, Winer 2008

The DBA/2J mouse (D2, 000671) not only has the distinction of being the oldest of all inbred mouse strains (Dr. C.C. Little began breeding it in 1909), but, along with the C57BL/6J (B6, 000664) strain, to which it is genetically disparate and often compared, it is one of the most versatile and widely used JAX® Mice. It can be used to research several neurological diseases, including age-related hearing loss, glaucoma, and seizures.

000671

JAX® Mice Strain DBA/2J (000671) is one of
the most versatile and widely used JAX® Mice.

Age-related hearing loss

Beginning at three to four weeks, D2 mice develop age-related high-frequency hearing loss, which becomes severe by two to three months. They possess three recessive alleles, including Cdh23ahl, the age-related hearing loss (ahl) allele of the cadherin 23 (otocadherin) (Cdh23) gene, that cause a progressive cochlear pathology that first affects the organ of Corti. The hearing loss parallels decreasing anteroventral cochlear nucleus volume and neuron loss.

Glaucoma

D2s are widely used to research eye disorders. Aging D2s develop progressive eye abnormalities that closely mimic human hereditary glaucoma. Defects include iris pigment dispersion, iris atrophy, anterior synechia (adhesion of the iris to the cornea), and elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Disease onset begins between three and six months. Two alleles, GpnmbR150X and Tyrp1isa, contribute to the eye phenotype.

Other applications

D2 mice can also be used to study epilepsy (young are susceptible to audiogenic seizures), drug addiction (intolerant to alcohol and morphine), anthrax (resistant to anthrax lethal toxin, susceptible to aerosol anthrax infection), diet-induced atherosclerosis (resistant), and immunology (hemolytic complement- (Hc0-) deficient).

Well characterized and genetically stable

The D2 strain is very well characterized: extensive phenotype information is available from the Mouse Phenome Database; an extensive physiological data summary is available and the D2 strain was resequenced by the NIEHS-supported Resequencing Project. Additionally, the D2 strain is part of our unique Genetic Stability Program.

For more details and references on the D2 strain, check out the JAX® Mice Database.