C57BR/cd

Inbr (J) 178. Brown: a,b. Origin: Little in 1921 from the same cross that gave rise to C57BL, C57BR/a and C57L. Black and brown substrains were separated in the first generation. Substrain cd was established at F13 from a cross between two brown substrains, one of which had previously given rise to C57BR/a. To Heston 1938, to J 1947 at F66. Maint. by J.

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Behaviour

High intrastrain aggression (1/14), high open-field activity (1/14), high spontaneous bar-pressing (2/14) and low social grooming during aggressive encounters (11/14) (Southwick and Clark, 1966, 1968). High open-field activity (1/15) (Thompson, 1953). High shock-avoidance learning (1/9) (Bovet et al., 1966., 1966), (2/9) (Bovet et al., 1969., 1969). High alcohol preference (3/18) (Rodgers, 1966).

Life-span and spontaneous disease

Primary lung tumours 3% in males, 1%,, in breeding females and zero in virgin females, lymphatic leukaemia less than 1% (Hoag, 1963). Pituitary tumours 33% in old breeding females (Murphy, 1966).

Long life-span in conventional conditions (20/22 = 703 days in males and 19/22 = 694 days in females), hepatomas 25% in males (Storer, 1966). Life-span intermediate in both sexes in SPF fostered conditions (10/17 = 577 days in males, 9/17 = 660 days in females) (Festing and Blackmore, 1971).

Normal physiology and biochemistry

Low systolic blood pressure (16/19) (Schlager and Weibust, 1967). High mean heart rate (2/7) but low mean heart rate adaptation (6/7) (Blizard and Welty, 1971). High metabolic rate (5/18) (Storer, 1967). High cell turnover as estimated by clearance of DNA-bound radioactivity (1/17) (Heiniger et al., 1972., 1972). Low plasma cholinesterase activity (20/22 in males, 16/22 in females) (Angel et al., 1967., 1967). High hypoxanthene-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase in thalamus (2/7) (Suran 1973). Low brain _L-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) (6/7) and acetylcholinesterase activity (6/7), but high monoamine oxidase activity (2/7) (Tunnicliff et al., 1973., 1973).

Low percentage of the time spent sleeping (6/6), with low percentage of slow-wave sleep (6/6) and high percentage of paradoxical sleep (1/6) (Valatx and Bugat, 1974). High proportion of paradoxical (REM) sleep (1/7) (Pagel et al., 1973., 1973).

Low sensitivity to thyrotropin (21/21) (Levy et al., 1965., 1965). Low glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity (15/16) (Hutton, 1971). Low hepatic delta-aminolaevulinic acid synthetase activity after DDC treatment (15/15) (Gross and Hutton, 1971). High hepatic nicotinamide N-methyltransferase levels (1/10) (Scheller et al, 1996) Susceptible to the induction of atherosclerosis and develop large lesions with many foam cells on a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet (13/13) (Roberts and Thompson, 1976).

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Anatomy

Low brain weight (24/25) (Roderick et al., 1973., 1973). High total leukocyte count (5/18), high haematocrit (2/18), high mean corpuscular volume (3/18) and high haemoglobin (3/18) (Russell et al., 1951., 1951).

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Drugs

Nicotine decreases shock-avoidance learning (9/9) (Bovet et al., 1966., 1966). Susceptible to tumour induction by 3-methylcholanthrene (4/12) (Whitmire et al., 1971., 1971). Sensitive to insulin (1/9) and histamine (1/9) (Brown, 1965). Resistant to hyperbaric oxygen (18/18) with few central nervous system manifestations (Hill et al., 1968i0 1968). Resistant to X-irradiation as judged by the LD₅₀ (2/9) (Yuhas and Storer, 1969), (2/9) (Storer, 1966). Resistant to chloroform toxicity (cf. 5/9) (Deringer et al., 1953., 1953). Sensitive (eosinophil response) to cortisone acetate (cf. 3/6) (Wragg and Speirs, 1952). Highly susceptible to the induction of liver tumours by N,N-diethylnitrosamine. At 50 weeks of age mean tumour multiplicity following a single dose of DEN given at 12 days of age was 28_13 tumours compared with only 1.4 and 0.5 in C3H and C57BL/6, respectively. Ovariectomy increased tumour multiplicity (Poole and Drinkwater, 1996).

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Immunology

High lymphocyte phytohaemagglutinin response (7/43) (Heiniger et al., 1975., 1975). Serum antinuclear factor in 51% of animals (1/17) (Barnes and Tuffrey, 1967). Discriminator between `H' and `L' sheep erythrocytes (cf. 12/18) (McCarthy and Dutton, 1975). Erythrocytes have a low agglutinability (cf. 11/25) (Rubinstein et al., 1974., 1974).

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Whitmire C. E., Salerno R. A., Rabstein L. S., Heubner R. J., and Turner H. C. (1971) RNA tumour-virus antigen expression in chemically induced tumours. Virus-genome specified common antigens detected by complement fixation in mouse tumours induced by 3-methylcholanthrene. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 47, 1255-1265.

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