FVB/NJ Available from Production Colonies
JAX® NOTES Issue 447, Fall 1991
L. E. Mobraaten, Staff Scientist
The inbred strain FVB/NJ is now available from the Production Colonies of The Jackson Laboratory. This strain is useful in the production of transgenic mice because of several unique characteristics. The pronuclei of zygotes are large and easily viewed making microinjection much easier. The strain has large litters with an average litter size of 9.5 pups/litter. Efficiency of producing transgenic embryos is equal to other strains such as C57BL/6J or B6SJLF1/J.
There is an advantage to using an inbred strain over F1 or F2 mice. When a successful insertion is obtained using hybrid mice, extensive backcrossing is required to establish the mutation on an inbred background. Using an inbred strain simplifies the genetic manipulation and analysis.
The Jackson Laboratory obtained FVB/N mice from NIH in 1987 at F38. The strain was developed from an outbred strain of Swiss stock selected for histamine sensitivity. The line was later determined to carry the Fv-1b allele (hence the "FVB" designation) for sensitivity to the B strain of Friend leukemia virus.
For information on health status, genetic make-up, or availability, contact a Customer Service Representative at 1-800-422-MICE.
Details on the characterization of the FVB/N strain can be found in Taketo M, Schroeder AC, Mobraaten LE, Gunning KB, Hanten G, Fox RR, Roderick TH, Stewart CL, Lilly F, Hansen CT, Overbeek PA. FVB/N: An inbred mouse strain preferable for transgenic analysis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1991; 88:2065-9.
