C57L

Inbr: F 130 +. Grey (colour very similar to DBA). Genet: a, b, ln. Origin: Murray 1933 from a mutation in F22 of a C57BR substrain which is now extinct. Maintained by Cloudman, to Heston 1938, then to Jackson Laboratory 1947 at F45. Differs from C57BR/cd at the H2, Igh1, Pgk2, Qa2 and Qa3 loci. Maint. by J, N.

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Behaviour

High alcohol preference (4/18) (Rodgers, 1966). High open-field activity (3/14), high spontaneous bar-pressing activity (3/14) and low tail-rattling during aggressive encounters (12/14) (Southwick and Clark, 1968). Rapid shock-avoidance learning (1/7) (Schlesinger and Wimer, 1967). High open-field activity (3/13) (Bruell, 1964).

Life-span and spontaneous disease

Low incidence of RNA tumour virus group-specific antigen expression (5/5) (Diwan et al., 1973., 1973). Primary lung tumours less than 1%; lymphatic leukaemia less than 1% in males and breeding females, but about 4% in virgin females; mammary adenocarcinomas 3% in breeding females, zero in males and virgin females (Hoag, 1963). 25% incidence of Hodgkin's-like lesions, reticulum cell neoplasm type B at 18 months (Heston, 1963) (55% according to Dunn and Deringer, 1968). Pituitary tumours 33% in old breeding females (Murphy, 1966).

Life-span short in males (3/17 = 473 days), intermediate in females (6/17 = 604 days) in SPF fostered conditions (Festing and Blackmore, 1971). Congenital cystic ovaries frequent (Staats, 1976).

Normal physiology and biochemistry

High systolic blood pressure (3/19) (Schlager and Weibust, 1967). Low serum ceruloplasmin levels in males (21/26) but high in females (6/27) (Meier and MacPike, 1968). Low rectal and hind foot pad temperature (8/9) but high tail temperature (2/9) (Shepard and Habas, 1967).

Low glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate levels in erythrocytes (8/8) (Erickson, 1974). Low sensitivity to thyrotropin (19/21) (Levy et al., 1965., 1965). Low brain glutamic acid decarboxylase (7/10) (Gaitonde and Festing, 1976). High coumarin hydroxylating ability (cf. 4/13) (Lush and Arnold, 1975). Low glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity (16/16) (Hutton, 1971). Low kidney arylsulphatase activity (10/12) (Daniel, 1976). Low hepatic delta-aminolaevulinic acid synthetase activity after DDC treatment (14/15) (Gross and Hutton, 1971). Resistant to induction of high hepatic porphyrin levels, in contrast with five other strains (Hutton and Gross, 1970). Low porphyrin content of Harderian gland (15/16) (Margolis, 1971). Susceptible to the development of atherosclerosis on a semi-synthetic high fat diet (2/9) (Nishina et al, 1993).

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Anatomy

High percent carcass lipid on a high-fat diet (8/9) (West et al 1992).Low brain weight (23/25) (Roderick et al., 1973., 1973). High total leukocyte count (3/18), high haematocrit (1/18), high mean corpuscular volume (1/18), high haemoglobin (2/18) (Russell et al., 1951., 1951). Adrenal gland has a small X zone (7/8) with a low incidence of vacuolisation (5/6) (Delost and Chirvan-Nia, 1958). About 38% of mice have accessory spleens (1/9) (Hummel et al., 1966., 1966). Low bone density of femur (10/11) (Beamer et al, 1996).

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Drugs

Low susceptibility to transplacental induction of tumours by 1-ethyl-1-nitrosourea (5/5) (Diwan et al., 1973., 1973). Susceptible to skin ulceration by DMBA (cf. 13/22) (Thomas et al., 1973., 1973). Low susceptibility to tumour induction by 3-methylcholanthrene (8/8) (Whitmire and Salerno, 1972). Resistant to the induction of tumours by N-Methyl-N-Nitrosourea (MNU) due to a gene on chromosome 7 (Angel et al, 1993).

Susceptible to teratogenic effects of 1-ethyl-1-nitrosourea (1/5) (Diwan, 1974). Sensitive to Warfarin (4/12) (Lush and Arnold, 1975). Long sleeping time under hexobarbital anaesthetic (14/15) (Lovell, 1976), long sleeping time under pentobarbitone anaesthetic (21/23), Lovell (1986). Resistant to chloroform toxicity (cf. 5/9) (Deringer et al., 1953., 1953). Susceptible to the development of lung fibrosis following a single dose of thoracic irradiation (Franko and Sharplin, 1994). Estrogen induces an increase in VLDL and LDL-cholesterol (like C57BL/6, contrast BALB/c and C3H) (Srivastava, 1995). A diet containing 15% dairy fat, 1% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid caused a high incidence of cholesterol gallstones (like SWR, A, contrast SM, AKR, DBA/2) (Faulkner et al, 1995).

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Immunology

Susceptible to experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) (3/18) (Levine and Sowinski, 1973). High susceptibility to EAE (3/10) with high incidence (1/10) of spontaneous relapse (Lindsey,1996). High lymphocyte phytohaemagglutinin response (2/43) (Heiniger et al., 1975., 1975). No immune response to low levels of bovine gamma-globulin (cf. 4/8) (Levine and Vaz, 1970). Poor immune response to GAT (random terpolymer of Glu⁶⁰, Ala³⁰, Tyr¹⁰) (8/10) (Dorf et al., 1974., 1974). HSF from Bordetella pertussis sensitises to histamine (Bergman and Munoz, 1968). Erythrocytes have low agglutinability (cf. 11/25) (Rubinstein et al., 1974., 1974). Susceptible to immunosuppression of contact hypersensitivity by ultraviolet B light (cf 3/18) (Noonan and Hoffman, 1994)

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Infection

Susceptible to Plasmodium berghei infection (1/8) (Most et al., 1966., 1966). Low susceptibility to BALB/Tennant leukaemia virus (12/12) (Tennant, 1965). Resistant to Mycobacterium marinum (3/9) and poor plateau harvest of M. leprae 8 months after infection (8/9) (Shepard and Habas, 1967). Low expression of RNA tumour virus group-specific antigen (8/8) (Whitmire and Salerno, 1972). Carries no detectable endogenous ecotropic MuLV DNA sequences (Jenkins et al 1982). Encephalomyocarditis virus causes diabetes mellitus (cf. 7/14) (Boucher et al., 1975., 1975). Resistant to development of leukaemia on infection with Friend virus (cf. 2/11) (Dietz and Rick, 1972).

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Reproduction

Intermediate breeding performance (15/25), colony output 0.9 young/female/wk, litter size at weaning high at 6.0 (7/25) (Festing, 1976a). Good litter size, mean 5.6 (2/6) (Verley et al., 1967., 1967). Intermediate breeding performance (16/24) (Hansen et al., 1973., 1973).

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Miscellaneous

High degree of genetic distinctiveness (5/27) (Taylor, 1972). Recommended host for transplantable hepatoma BW7756 and pituitary tumour BW8883 (Kaliss, 1972).

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