Nomenclature: NTac:NIHS-Foxn1^nu

• An outbred athymic model originating from the NIH Genetic Repository
• This outbred stock is frequently used for implants of human tumors for purposes of chemotherapeutic screening
• Maintained in flexible-film isolators under gnotobiotic conditions
• The autosomal recessive nude gene in homozygous (sp/sp) mice causes the lack of fur and an abnormal thymus. The deficiency in T cell function allows athymic mice to accept and grow xenografts as well as allografts of normal and malignant tissues.
• Heterozygous (sp/wt) mice carry only one copy of the nude mutation and have hair. Heterozygous nudes were originally thought to have normal immune systems, but in fact have immune alterations such as reduced bone marrow stem cells and lower thymus weights. Heterozygous nudes may thus not be appropriate for use as sentinels. They may be used in PK/dosing studies.

Origin