Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026
Assessment of Respiratory Function in Conscious Mice by Double-chamber Plethysmography
Published on: July 10, 2018
Variation in airway responsiveness of male C57BL/6 mice from 5 vendors
Herng-Yu Sucie Chang1, Wayne Mitzner, Julie Watson
1Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Abstract:
Mice are now the most commonly used animal model for the study of asthma. The mouse asthma model has many characteristics of the human pathology, including allergic sensitization and airway hyperresponsiveness. Inbred strains are commonly used to avoid variations due to genetic background, but variations due to rearing environment are not as well recognized. After a change in mouse vendors and a switch from C57BL/6J mice to C57BL/6N mice, we noted significant differences in airway responsiveness between the substrains. To further investigate the effect of vendor, we tested C57BL/6N mice from 3 other vendors and found significant differences between several of the substrains. To test whether this difference was due to genetic drift or rearing environment, we purchased new groups of mice from all 5 vendors, bred them in separate vendor-specific groups under uniform environmental conditions, and tested male first generation (F1) offspring at 8 to 10 wk of age. These F1 mice showed no significant differences in airway responsiveness, indicating that the rearing environment rather than genetic differences was responsible for the initial variation in pulmonary phenotype. The environmental factors that caused the phenotypic variation are unknown. However, differences between vendor in feed components, bedding type, or microbiome could have contributed. Whatever the basis, investigators using mouse models of asthma should be cautious in comparing data from mice obtained from different vendors.
Insights
Mouse asthma models show variations in airway responsiveness due to vendor rearing environments, not genetics. Researchers should carefully consider mouse sourcing when comparing asthma study data.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Immunology
- Animal Models
Background:
- The mouse asthma model is crucial for studying human asthma, exhibiting allergic sensitization and airway hyperresponsiveness.
- While inbred strains minimize genetic variation, the impact of rearing environment on mouse models is often overlooked.
- Observed differences in airway responsiveness after a vendor change and substrain switch (C57BL/6J to C57BL/6N) prompted further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of different mouse vendors on airway responsiveness in C57BL/6N mice.
- To determine if observed phenotypic variations were due to genetic drift or environmental factors related to the vendor.
Main Methods:
- C57BL/6N mice from five different vendors were initially tested for airway responsiveness.
- To isolate environmental effects, new mice from all vendors were bred in vendor-specific groups under uniform conditions.
- First-generation (F1) offspring were tested for airway responsiveness at 8-10 weeks of age.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in airway responsiveness were initially observed between C57BL/6N mice from different vendors.
- However, F1 offspring bred under uniform conditions showed no significant differences in airway responsiveness.
- This indicates that the rearing environment, not genetic drift, was responsible for the observed phenotypic variations.
Conclusions:
- Rearing environment significantly influences pulmonary phenotype, specifically airway responsiveness, in mouse models of asthma.
- Potential environmental factors include differences in feed, bedding, or microbiome composition across vendors.
- Researchers using mouse asthma models must exercise caution when comparing data from mice sourced from different vendors.
