NSG mouse

The NSG mouse (NOD scid gamma mouse) is a brand of immunodeficient laboratory mice, developed and marketed by Jackson Laboratory, which carries the strain NOD.Cg-Prkdc^scid Il2rg^tm1Wjl/SzJ. NSG branded mice are among the most immunodeficient described to date. ^[1] NSG branded mice lack mature T cells, B cells, and natural killer (NK) cells. ^[2] NSG branded mice are also deficient in multiple cytokine signaling pathways, and they have many defects in innate immunity. ^{[2] [3]} The compound immunodeficiencies in NSG branded mice permit the engraftment of a wide range of primary human cells, and enable sophisticated modeling of many areas of human biology and disease. NSG branded mice were developed in the laboratory of Dr. Leonard Shultz at Jackson Laboratory, which owns the NSG trade mark.

Features of NSG mice

• The genetic background, derived from inbred NOD mouse strain NOD/ShiLtJ, contributes reductions in innate immunity that include an absent hemolytic complement system, reduced dendritic cell function, and defective macrophage activity. ^[3] The NOD/ShiLtJ background also contributes an allele of the Sirpa gene that renders the bone marrow niche very permissive to colonization by human hematopoietic stem cells. ^[4]
• The Prkdc^scid mutation ^a , commonly known as “scid” or “severe combined immunodeficiency”, essentially eliminates adaptive immunity. ^[5] Prkdc^scid is a loss-of-function mutation in the mouse homologue of the human PRKDC gene, which encodes a protein that resolves DNA strand breaks that occur during V(D)J recombination in developing T and B lymphocytes. ^[6] Mice homozygous for the mutation have severely reduced numbers of mature T and B cells. ^{[3] [5]} The phenotypic penetrance of Prkdc^scid varies among inbred strain backgrounds, but the mutation is most effective at eliminating adaptive immunity on the NOD genetic background. ^[3] Due to the Prkdc^scid mutation, however, the NSG strain shows high sensitivity to radiation, T-cell leakage, and increased incidence of thymic lymphoma formation; as such, this strain cannot be used to predict clinical response to certain anticancer drugs, or for long-term transplantation studies. ^{[7] [8]}
• The Il2rg^tm1Wjl targeted mutation ^b is a complete null mutation in the gene encoding the interleukin 2 receptor gamma chain (IL2Rγ, homologous to IL2RG in humans). ^[9] IL2Rγ is a common component of the cell surface receptors that bind and transduce signals from six distinct interleukins. Signaling through IL2Rγ is required for the differentiation and function of many hematopoietic cells. ^[9] Notably, the absence of IL2Rγ blocks NK cell differentiation, and thereby removes a major obstacle preventing the efficient engraftment of primary human cells. ^{[2] [5]}

Research applications

• Primary human lung tumor xenografts that preserve the tumor microenvironment during long-term engraftment. ^[10]
• Humanized model for evaluation of possible cancer curing gene therapy. ^[11]
• Models of acute or chronic leukemia established using cancer cells collected from patients.^{[ citation needed ]}
• A highly sensitive platform for studying epithelial ^[12] and cancer stem cells. ^[13]
• Establishing a functional, humanized immune system from engrafted human hematopoietic stem cells ^{[14] [15]} and progenitors. ^[16]
• Humanized models for studying human-specific infectious diseases like HIV, ^[17] Epstein Barr virus, ^[18] malaria, ^[19] and Dengue fever. ^{[20] [21]} Humanized models also aid in testing new therapies. ^[17]
• Studying allograft rejection after pancreatic islet transplantation therapy for type 1 diabetes. ^[22]

References

1. Shultz LD, Ishikawa F, Greiner DL (2007). "Humanized mice in translational biomedical research". Nat. Rev. Immunol. 7 (2): 118–130. doi:10.1038/nri2017. PMID   17259968. S2CID   7933096.
2. Shultz LD, Lyons BL, Burzenski LM, et al. (2005). "Human lymphoid and myeloid cell development in NOD/LtSz-scid IL2R gamma null mice engrafted with mobilized human hemopoietic stem cells" (PDF). J. Immunol. 174 (10): 6477–89. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.174.10.6477 . PMID   15879151.
3. Shultz LD, Schweitzer PA, Christianson SW, et al. (1995). "Multiple defects in innate and adaptive immunologic function in NOD/LtSz-scid mice". J. Immunol. 154 (1): 180–91. PMID   7995938.
4. Takenaka K, Prasolava TK, Wang JC, et al. (2007). "Polymorphism in Sirpa modulates engraftment of human hematopoietic stem cells". Nat. Immunol. 8 (12): 1313–23. doi:10.1038/ni1527. PMID   17982459. S2CID   7874854.
5. Greiner DL, Hesselton RA, Shultz LD (1998). "SCID mouse models of human stem cell engraftment". Stem Cells. 16 (3): 166–177. doi: 10.1002/stem.160166 . PMID   9617892.
6. Blunt T, Finnie NJ, Taccioli GE, et al. (1995). "Defective DNA-dependent protein kinase activity is linked to V(D)J recombination and DNA repair defects associated with the murine scid mutation". Cell. 80 (5): 813–23. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(95)90360-7 . PMID   7889575.
7. Pearson, T; Shultz, LD (2008). "Non-Obese Diabetic-Recombination Activating Gene-1 (NOD- Rag 1 null ) Interleukin (IL)-2 Receptor Common Gamma Chain ( IL 2 Rγ null ) Null Mice: A Radioresistant Model for Human Lymphohaematopoietic Engraftment". Clinical & Experimental Immunology. 154 (2): 270–284. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2249.2008.03753.x. PMC   2612717 . PMID   18785974.
8. Fulop, GM; Phillips, RA (1990). "The Scid Mutation in Mice Causes a General Defect in DNA Repair". Nature. 347 (6292): 479–482. Bibcode:1990Natur.347..479F. doi:10.1038/347479a0. PMID   2215662. S2CID   4351206.
9. Cao X, Shores EW, Hu-Li J, et al. (1995). "Defective lymphoid development in mice lacking expression of the common cytokine receptor gamma chain". Immunity. 2 (3): 223–38. doi: 10.1016/1074-7613(95)90047-0 . PMID   7697543.
10. Simpson-Abelson MR, Sonnenberg GF, Takita H, et al. (2008). "Long-term engraftment and expansion of tumor-derived memory T cells following the implantation of non-disrupted pieces of human lung tumor into NOD-scid IL2Rgamma(null) mice". J. Immunol. 180 (10): 7009–18. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.180.10.7009 . PMID   18453623.
11. Escobar G, Moi D, Ranghetti A, et al. (Jan 2014). "Genetic engineering of hematopoiesis for targeted IFN-α delivery inhibits breast cancer progression" . Sci. Transl. Med. 6 (217): 217. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.3006353. PMID   24382895. S2CID   8430299.
12. Eirew P, Stingl J, Raouf A, et al. (2008). "A method for quantifying normal human mammary epithelial stem cells with in vivo regenerative ability". Nat. Med. 14 (12): 1384–9. doi:10.1038/nm.1791. PMID   19029987. S2CID   205385845.
13. Quintana E, Shackleton M, Sabel MS, Fullen DR, Johnson TM, Morrison SJ (2008). "Efficient tumour formation by single human melanoma cells". Nature. 456 (7222): 593–598. Bibcode:2008Natur.456..593Q. doi:10.1038/nature07567. PMC   2597380 . PMID   19052619.
14. Ishikawa F, Yasukawa M, Lyons B, et al. (2005). "Development of functional human blood and immune systems in NOD/SCID/IL2 receptor {gamma} chain(null) mice". Blood. 106 (5): 1565–73. doi:10.1182/blood-2005-02-0516. PMC   1895228 . PMID   15920010.
15. Giassi LJ, Pearson T, Shultz LD, et al. (August 2008). "Expanded CD34+ human umbilical cord blood cells generate multiple lymphohematopoietic lineages in NOD-scid IL2rgamma(null) mice". Exp. Biol. Med. (Maywood). 233 (8): 997–1012. doi:10.3181/0802-RM-70. PMC   2757278 . PMID   18653783.
16. Majeti R, Park CY, Weissman IL (2007). "Identification of a hierarchy of multipotent hematopoietic progenitors in human cord blood". Cell Stem Cell. 1 (6): 635–645. doi:10.1016/j.stem.2007.10.001. PMC   2292126 . PMID   18371405.
17. Kumar P, Ban HS, Kim SS, et al. (2008). "T cell-specific siRNA delivery suppresses HIV-1 infection in humanized mice". Cell. 134 (4): 577–86. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2008.06.034. PMC   2943428 . PMID   18691745.
18. Strowig T, Gurer C, Ploss A, et al. (2009). "Priming of protective T cell responses against virus-induced tumors in mice with human immune system components". J. Exp. Med. 206 (6): 1423–34. doi:10.1084/jem.20081720. PMC   2715061 . PMID   19487422.
19. Jiménez-Díaz MB, Mulet T, Viera S, et al. (2009). "Improved murine model of malaria using Plasmodium falciparum competent strains and non-myelodepleted NOD-scid IL2Rgammanull mice engrafted with human erythrocytes". Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 53 (10): 4533–6. doi:10.1128/AAC.00519-09. PMC   2764183 . PMID   19596869.
20. Mota J, Rico-Hesse R (2009). "Humanized mice show clinical signs of dengue fever according to infecting virus genotype". J. Virol. 83 (17): 8638–8645. doi:10.1128/JVI.00581-09. PMC   2738212 . PMID   19535452.
21. Jaiswal S, Pearson T, Friberg H, et al. (2009). Unutmaz D (ed.). "Dengue virus infection and virus-specific HLA-A2 restricted immune responses in humanized NOD-scid IL2rgammanull mice". PLOS ONE. 4 (10): e7251. Bibcode:2009PLoSO...4.7251J. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0007251 . PMC   2749937 . PMID   19802382.
22. King M, Pearson T, Shultz LD, et al. (2008). "A new Hu-PBL model for the study of human islet alloreactivity based on NOD-scid mice bearing a targeted mutation in the IL-2 receptor gamma chain gene". Clin. Immunol. 126 (3): 303–14. doi:10.1016/j.clim.2007.11.001. PMID   18096436.

Notes

1. ^ Mouse Genome Informatics entry for Prkdc^scid

2. ^ Mouse Genome Informatics entry for Il2rg^tm1Wjl

External links

• NSG strain datasheet at The Jackson Laboratory
• NSG discussion forum
• Categorized list of references