About   Help   FAQ
Phenotypes Associated with This Genotype
Genotype
MGI:2386738
Allelic
Composition
Npc1m1N/Npc1m1N
Genetic
Background
involves: BALB/c
Find Mice Using the International Mouse Strain Resource (IMSR)
Mouse lines carrying:
Npc1m1N mutation (3 available); any Npc1 mutation (74 available)
phenotype observed in females
phenotype observed in males
N normal phenotype

Abnormal morphology of Npc1m1N/Npc1m1N sperm

mortality/aging
• ~75 day life span (J:81305)
• mice die between 80 and 100 days of age from neurodegenerative disease (J:130969)

behavior/neurological
• poor food intake, beginning at 7 weeks of age
• defects beginning at 7 to 8 weeks of age
• mice exhibit impaired coordination around 40 days of age with coordination worsening as the mice age

growth/size/body
• female homozygotes display a smaller stature than wild-type females
• female homozygotes display a reduced body mass relative to wild-type females (J:91430)
• beginning at 7 to 8 weeks of age (J:76733)
• mice exhibit weight loss starting at 40 days of age (J:130969)
• progressive increase in lung weight, beginning at 7 weeks of age (J:76733)
• lung weight as a % of total body weight is higher (J:204311)
• hepatomegaly and associated pale liver, presumably due to lipid accumulation
• progressive increase in liver weight, beginning at 7 weeks of age
• progressive splenomegaly, beginning at 7 weeks of age

hematopoietic system
• progressive splenomegaly, beginning at 7 weeks of age
• alveolar macrophages are enlarged and vacuole-filled, some with concentric multilamellar electron dense surfactant-like materials
• alveolar macrophages are laden with free cholesterol with many large, foamy cells; phospholipid levels are elevated 6-fold and cholesterol levels are elevated 15-fold in alveolar macrophages

homeostasis/metabolism
• higher rate of turnover although whole body pool is considerably elevated
• rate of cholesterol synthesis is reduced
• female homozygotes show a 25% increase in serum FSH levels relative to wild-type controls
• female homozygotes show a dramatic increase in serum LH levels relative to wild-type controls
• in contrast, pituitary expression and circulating levels of GH remain unaffected
• mutant pituitaries exhibit decreased concentrations of prolactin, consistent with a significant reduction in pituitary prolactin mRNA
• however, chronic (4-week) treatment with 17beta-estradiol (E2) dramatically increases the cytoplasmic signal for prolactin, well in excess of that found in wild-type pituitaries
• female homozygotes show a dramatic reduction in serum prolactin levels relative to wild-type controls
• decreased levels in the brain at 7 weeks of age relative to controls (J:104996)
• mice have decreased levels of total cholesterol in the brain (J:130969)
• increase in phospholipid content in the lungs
• 4-fold elevation of phospholipid levels of bronchoalveolar lavage
• 2- to 2.8-fold increase in phospholipid levels in lamellar bodies
• increase in surfactant phospholipid levels
• elevation in lipid content in the lungs
• elevated in most organs except the brain at 7 weeks of age (J:104996)
• mice have increased cholesterol levels in the liver, spleen, intestine and lung (J:130969)
• progressively increasing plasma cholesterol levels
• elevated cholesterol level in the brain at 1 day of age
• increase in cholesterol content in the lungs (J:204311)
• 12-fold elevation of cholesterol levels in branchoalveolar lavage (J:204311)
• 6.8-fold increase in cholesterol levels in lamellar bodies (J:204311)
• lipid accumulation (including sphingomyelin, glucocerebroside, lactosylceramide, and cholesterol) in various organs including the liver, lung, kidney, thymus, spleen, and brain (J:18511)
• lungs exhibit surfactant accumulation, indicating alveolar lipidosis (J:204311)
• proteinaceous-like material in the alveolar space
• mild protein accumulation in bronchoalveolar lavage

immune system
• progressive splenomegaly, beginning at 7 weeks of age
• alveolar macrophages are enlarged and vacuole-filled, some with concentric multilamellar electron dense surfactant-like materials
• alveolar macrophages are laden with free cholesterol with many large, foamy cells; phospholipid levels are elevated 6-fold and cholesterol levels are elevated 15-fold in alveolar macrophages

liver/biliary system
• hepatomegaly and associated pale liver, presumably due to lipid accumulation
• progressive increase in liver weight, beginning at 7 weeks of age
• massive liver storage of cholesterol in mice on a high fat, 1% cholesterol diet

reproductive system
• at 60 days of age, the total number of mutant cauda sperm is reduced to only ~28% of that in wild-type males
• at 60 days of age, male homozygotes show a significantly higher frequency of abnormal cauda sperm morphology than wild-type males (~32% vs ~7%, respectively)
• at 60 days of age, tailless sperm heads are frequently observed
• at 60 days of age, aberrant cauda sperm heads are frequentyly observed
• at 60 days of age, headless sperm tails are frequently observed
• some mutant seminiferous tubules exhibit evidence of extensive degeneration
• adult mutant ovaries show near absence of 17beta-estradiol (E2) content (2.0 pg) relative to 110-135 pg/ovary in wild-type controls
• expression of two key steroidogenic proteins (StAR and Cyp19) is markedly reduced in mutant ovaries relative to wild-type controls
• however, exogenous gonadotropin treatment restores expression of both steroidogenic proteins to wild-type levels
• at 7-8 weeks of age, female homozygotes exhibit a thinner reproductive tract than wild-type females
• at 7-8 weeks of age, reduction in the endometrial stroma is associated with a reduction in the convolution of uterine glands
• at 7-8 weeks of age, the stromata of mutant ovaries contain numerous islands of foamy cells composed of healthy nuclei and vacuolated cytoplasm
• these cell nests are replete with lipid, as shown by oil-red-O staining
• at 7-8 weeks of age, no formation of corpora lutea is observed
• injection of hCG after eCG treatment induces formation of corpora lutea in both wild-type and mutant mice; however, less than half the number of corpora lutea are detected in mutant ovaries
• at 7 weeks of age, mutant ovarian follicles and stromata exhibit lipid accumulation, as shown by oil-red-O staining
• at 7-8 weeks of age, mutant mural granulosa cells exhibit lipid accumulation, as shown by oil-red-O staining
• mutant ovarian follicles fail to mature to the large antral and preovulatory stages
• number of mutant secondary follicles is reduced relative to wild-type controls
• chronic treatment of 8-wk-old female mutants with 17beta-estradiol (E2) increases the number of secondary follicles, well in excess of that found in untreated mutant ovaries
• at 7 weeks of age, mutant antral follicles are smaller than the largest follicles found in wild-type controls
• exogenous gonadotropin treatment induces development of numerous large antral follicles at 48 hrs in both wild-type and mutant ovaries; however, mutant ovaries display fewer large follicles in response to eCG
• number of mutant antral follicles is reduced relative to wild-type controls
• chronic treatment of 8-wk-old female mutants with 17beta-estradiol (E2) increases the number of large antral follicles, well in excess of that found in untreated mutant ovaries
• at 7-8 weeks, but not at 3 weeks, of age mutant ovaries are smaller than wild-type
• at 7-8 weeks of age, the average weight of mutant ovaries is 1.1 +/- 0.22 mg vs 4.76 +/- 0.51 mg for wild-type ovaries
• at 8 weeks of age, a reduction in endometrial thickness is observed
• at 7-8 weeks of age, mutant uteri are thinner than wild-type
• at 7-8 weeks of age, atrophy of the myometrium, endometrial stroma, and the endometrial epithelium is observed
• male homozygotes show a partial arrest of spermatogenesis, with some tubules containing fused spermatogenic cells with more than one nucleus while other tubules appear normal
• exogenous gonadotropin treatment induces ovulation in both wild-type and mutant ovaries; however, mutant ovaries exhibit fewer large follicles in response to eCG and fewer ovulations in response hCG
• at 7-8 weeks of age, mutant ovaries display no evidence of ovulation
• mutant ovaries transplanted under wild-type kidney capsules display evidence of ovulation, as shown by the presence of corpora lutea and an extraovarian oocyte
• female homozygotes are acyclic
• females showed normal oogenesis, but lacked implantation sites after successful plugging
• female homozygotes are infertile
• male homozygotes are infertile
• in vitro, mutant sperm are unable to fertilize cumulus-intact eggs (CIE) and produce two-cell embryos, unlike wild-type sperm which fertilize ~56% of CIE
• mutant sperm are able to bind to zona-free eggs as well as wild-type sperm but fail to fuse with the egg plasma membrane
• when zona-intact eggs are used, the in vitro capacity of mutant sperm to bind to the egg zona pellucida is only 14% of the level in wild-type sperm
• 30% of total cyritestin protein is not proteolytically processed on mutant cauda sperm, whereas fertilin beta is processed normally

respiratory system
• lungs contain 'nests' of vacuolar filled macrophages and enlarged foamy alveolar macrophages
• capillary endothelial cells containing enlarged vacuoles/multivesicular bodies are seen in the lungs
• enlarged polymorphonuclear leukocytes or circulating macrophages filled with vacuolar inclusions are seen within lung capillaries
• progressive increase in lung weight, beginning at 7 weeks of age (J:76733)
• lung weight as a % of total body weight is higher (J:204311)
• alveolar macrophages are enlarged and vacuole-filled, some with concentric multilamellar electron dense surfactant-like materials
• alveolar macrophages are laden with free cholesterol with many large, foamy cells; phospholipid levels are elevated 6-fold and cholesterol levels are elevated 15-fold in alveolar macrophages
• increase in cholesterol content in the lungs (J:204311)
• 12-fold elevation of cholesterol levels in branchoalveolar lavage (J:204311)
• 6.8-fold increase in cholesterol levels in lamellar bodies (J:204311)
• proteinaceous-like material in the alveolar space
• mild protein accumulation in bronchoalveolar lavage
• alveolar type II cells have many autophagosomes
• cholesterol and phospholipid accumulation in lamellar bodies of alveolar type II cells
• 42% of alveolar type II cell lamellar bodies are enlarged compared to 15% in wild-type mice
• thickening of the intra-alveolar septae with a slight enlargement of the airways
• liposome degradation is reduced by 46% in the lungs
• increase in surfactant phospholipid levels

nervous system
• the mutant anterior pituitary displays vacuolated cells, suggestiing low rates of feedback control and increased hormone synthesis and secretion
• the mutant anterior pituitary shows a dramatic reduction in acidophil cell number relative to wild-type
• however, chronic (4-week) treatment with 17beta-estradiol (E2) restores pituitary volume and acidophil numbers to wild-type levels
• the mutant anterior pituitary is hypoplastic relative to wild-type
• decreased levels in the brain at 7 weeks of age relative to controls (J:104996)
• mice have decreased levels of total cholesterol in the brain (J:130969)
• elevated cholesterol level in the brain at 1 day of age
• progressive decrease in brain weight, beginning at 7 weeks of age (J:76733)
• brain weight is lower than in controls mice (J:130969)
• reduced in size by 50% at 11 weeks of age
• glial cells reduced by 52%
• by P45, Purkinje cell loss was most evident in the anterior cerebellar vermis
• degenerating cells belonged preferentially to the zebrin II-negative subtype
• by P45, some Purkinje cell loss was evident in the posterior cerebellar vermis
• at P60, most surviving Purkinje cells were located in the posterior vermis
• cerebellum weight is smaller than controls
• glial cells in the corpus callosum reduced by 52%
• vacuolated cytoplasmic storage material in all regions of the central nervous system
• localized axonal swellings, malformations of the dendritic arbor, and accumulation of vesicular storage materials within the cytoplasm
• axonal swelling by 11 weeks of age
• earliest cell loss at P45 throughout the cerebellum; cell loss was profound by P60 in the anterior lobe of the cerebellum; no marked loss after P75 (J:81305)
• small reduction in Purkinje cell numbers in the cerebellar hemispheres at 3 weeks of age (J:126474)
• reduction in numbers increases with age (J:126474)
• reduced levels of both myelin protein and myelin cholesterol

cellular
• at 60 days of age, the total number of mutant cauda sperm is reduced to only ~28% of that in wild-type males
• at 60 days of age, male homozygotes show a significantly higher frequency of abnormal cauda sperm morphology than wild-type males (~32% vs ~7%, respectively)
• at 60 days of age, tailless sperm heads are frequently observed
• at 60 days of age, aberrant cauda sperm heads are frequentyly observed
• at 60 days of age, headless sperm tails are frequently observed
• Golgi fragmentation is found in neurons of the cerebral cortex, cerebellar Purkinje cells, and brainstem neurons
• higher rate of turnover although whole body pool is considerably elevated
• rate of cholesterol synthesis is reduced

adipose tissue
• female homozygotes exhibit reduced abdominal fat deposits relative to wild-type females

endocrine/exocrine glands
• the mutant anterior pituitary displays vacuolated cells, suggestiing low rates of feedback control and increased hormone synthesis and secretion
• the mutant anterior pituitary shows a dramatic reduction in acidophil cell number relative to wild-type
• however, chronic (4-week) treatment with 17beta-estradiol (E2) restores pituitary volume and acidophil numbers to wild-type levels
• the mutant anterior pituitary is hypoplastic relative to wild-type
• at 7-8 weeks of age, reduction in the endometrial stroma is associated with a reduction in the convolution of uterine glands
• at 7-8 weeks of age, the stromata of mutant ovaries contain numerous islands of foamy cells composed of healthy nuclei and vacuolated cytoplasm
• these cell nests are replete with lipid, as shown by oil-red-O staining
• at 7-8 weeks of age, no formation of corpora lutea is observed
• injection of hCG after eCG treatment induces formation of corpora lutea in both wild-type and mutant mice; however, less than half the number of corpora lutea are detected in mutant ovaries
• at 7 weeks of age, mutant ovarian follicles and stromata exhibit lipid accumulation, as shown by oil-red-O staining
• at 7-8 weeks of age, mutant mural granulosa cells exhibit lipid accumulation, as shown by oil-red-O staining
• mutant ovarian follicles fail to mature to the large antral and preovulatory stages
• number of mutant secondary follicles is reduced relative to wild-type controls
• chronic treatment of 8-wk-old female mutants with 17beta-estradiol (E2) increases the number of secondary follicles, well in excess of that found in untreated mutant ovaries
• at 7 weeks of age, mutant antral follicles are smaller than the largest follicles found in wild-type controls
• exogenous gonadotropin treatment induces development of numerous large antral follicles at 48 hrs in both wild-type and mutant ovaries; however, mutant ovaries display fewer large follicles in response to eCG
• number of mutant antral follicles is reduced relative to wild-type controls
• chronic treatment of 8-wk-old female mutants with 17beta-estradiol (E2) increases the number of large antral follicles, well in excess of that found in untreated mutant ovaries
• at 7-8 weeks, but not at 3 weeks, of age mutant ovaries are smaller than wild-type
• at 7-8 weeks of age, the average weight of mutant ovaries is 1.1 +/- 0.22 mg vs 4.76 +/- 0.51 mg for wild-type ovaries
• some mutant seminiferous tubules exhibit evidence of extensive degeneration
• adult mutant ovaries show near absence of 17beta-estradiol (E2) content (2.0 pg) relative to 110-135 pg/ovary in wild-type controls
• expression of two key steroidogenic proteins (StAR and Cyp19) is markedly reduced in mutant ovaries relative to wild-type controls
• however, exogenous gonadotropin treatment restores expression of both steroidogenic proteins to wild-type levels

cardiovascular system
• capillary endothelial cells containing enlarged vacuoles/multivesicular bodies are seen in the lungs
• enlarged polymorphonuclear leukocytes or circulating macrophages filled with vacuolar inclusions are seen within lung capillaries

Mouse Models of Human Disease
DO ID OMIM ID(s) Ref(s)
Niemann-Pick disease DOID:14504 J:18511 , J:76733 , J:81305 , J:130969 , J:204311


Contributing Projects:
Mouse Genome Database (MGD), Gene Expression Database (GXD), Mouse Models of Human Cancer database (MMHCdb) (formerly Mouse Tumor Biology (MTB)), Gene Ontology (GO)
Citing These Resources
Funding Information
Warranty Disclaimer, Privacy Notice, Licensing, & Copyright
Send questions and comments to User Support.
last database update
12/10/2024
MGI 6.24
The Jackson Laboratory