BXSB

Inbr (Mp) 49. Agouti; +. Origin: E.D.Murphy from a cross of C57BL/6J x SB, followed by selection of the satin, non-beige phenotype, followed by b x s mating.

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Characteristics

Develops spontaneous lupus-like autoimmune syndrome which is strikingly accelerated in the males. This also occurs in F1 hybrids provided BXSB is the male parent, and appears to be due to a Y-linked gene (Murphy and Roths 1979). Cell-mediated immune function compares favourably with other strains, though there may be reduced reticuloendothelial function (Creighton et al 1979). Theofilopoulos et al (1980) have compared immune function in this and other autoimmune strains. Ultrastructural pathology of the thymic reticulum revealed several features in common with NZB and MRL-lpr in varying degrees according to sex and age of the mice. Main anomalies included vacuolized aspect of the thymic epithelium, an increased number of macrophages, interdigitating cells and cystic cavities, the presence of a great number of plasmocytes and mastocytes and extensive interstitial fibrosis and arteriosclerosis. The most intriguing finding was the presence of crystal-like inclusions in epithelial cells (Nabarra et al 1990). An unusual expansion of CFU-M appears in spleen and liver of male mice two weeks after birth (Vieten et al,1996). These mice develop antibodies that bind cardiolipin phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol (Ahmed et al, 1993). Treatment with bacterial lipopolysaccharide enhances polyclonal B-cell activation, impairs carrier function of blood cells for immune complexes, increases deposition of immune complexes in the microcirculation and promotes glomerular inflammation and sclerosis (Granholm and Cavallo, 1995). An unusual expansion of macrophage precursor cells (CFU-M) appears in the spleen and liver of male mice two weeks after birth (Vieten et al, 1996).

About 40-60% of mice of both sexes have ectopic cell clusters in layer I of the neocortex. Affected mice had better Morris maze learning and better long-term retention than the non-ectopic counterparts (Boehm et al, 1996a). They also had better reference memory, but less effective working memory than their non-ectopic counterparts in a Lashley III maze (Boehm et al, 1996b). Ectopic mice also took longer to learn a "working memory" water maze (Waters et al, 1997).

Embryonic stem cell lines have been established (Kawase et al, 1994). Like other H2^b mice this strain does not express the class II H2 antigen, I-E. Mice bearing this antigen as a transgene do not develop the autoimmune syndrome (Merino et al, 1993).

Maint. by J, Ola.

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Ahmed S. A., Boone J., and Verthelyi D. (1993) Anticardiolipin antibodies in autoimmune-prone BXSB and MRL/lpr mice, and estrogen-treated normal C57BL/6J mice crossreact with other phospholipids. International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology 6, 135-147.

Boehm G. W., Sherman G. F., Hoplight II B. J., Hyde L. A., Waters N. S., Bradway D. M., Galaburda A. M., and Denenberg V. H. (1996a) Learning and memory in the autoimmune BXSB mouse: Effects of neocortical ectopias and environmental enrichment. Brain Res. 726, 11-22.

Boehm G. W., Sherman G. F., Rosen G. D., Galaburda A. M., and Denenberg V. H. (1996b) Neocortical ectopias in BXSB mice: Effects upon reference and working memory systems. Cerebral Cortex 6, 696-700.

Creighton W. D., Zinkernagel R. M., and Dixon F. J. (1979) T cell-mediated immune responses of lupus-prone BXSB mice and other murine strains. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 37, 181-189.

Granholm N. A. and Cavallo T. (1995) Enhancement of renal disease in BXSB lupus prone mice after prior exposure to bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Lupus 4, 339-347.

Kawase E., Suemori H., Takahashi N., Okazaki K., Hashimoto K., and Nakatsuji N. (1994) Strain difference in establishment of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell lines. International Journal of Developmental Biology 38, 385-390.

Merino R., Iwamoto M., Fossati L., Muniesa P., Araki K., Takahashi S., Huarte J., Yamamura K. I., Vassalli J. D., and Izui S. (1993) Prevention of systemic lupus erythematosus in autoimmune BXSB mice by a transgene encoding I-E alpha chain. Journal Of Experimental Medicine 178, 1189-1197.

Murphy E. D. and Roths J. B. (1979) A Y chromosome associated factor in strain BXSB producing accelerated autoimmunity and lymphoproliferation. Arthritis Rheum. 22, 1188-1194.

Nabarra B., Dardenne M., and Bach J. F. (1990) Thymic reticulum of autoimmune mice. II: Ultrastructural studies of mice with lupus-like syndrome (NZB, BXSB, MRL/l). Journal of Autoimmunity 3, 25-36.

Theofilopoulos A. N., McConahey P. J., Izui S., Eisenberg R. A., Pereira A. B., and Creighton W. D. (1980) A comparitive immunologic analysis of several murine stains with autoimmune manifestations. Clin. Immunol. Immunopathol. 15, 258-278.

Vieten G., Grams B., Muller M., Hartung K., and Emmendorffer A. (1996) Examination of the mononuclear phagocyte system in lupus-prone male BXSB mice. J. Leukocyte Biol. 59, 325-332.

Waters N. S., Sherman G. F., Galaburda A. M., and Denenberg V. H. (1997) Effects of cortical ectopias on spatial delayed-matching-to-sample performance in BXSB mice. Behavioural Brain Research 84, 23-29.

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INBRED STRAINS OF MICE
Updated 9 Apr. 1998
Michael FW Festing
MRC Toxicology Unit, Hodgkin Building,
University of Leicester, UK