FVB/N: an inbred mouse strain preferable for transgenic analyses.

TLDR

FVB/N mice are ideal for transgenic work because they reproduce vigorously, produce large litters, and possess large pronuclei that ease DNA microinjection, a trait inherited from the oocyte. Researchers injected the same DNA constructs into FVB/N, C57BL/6J, and F1 zygotes and are also developing pigmented congenic FVB/N strains. FVB/N zygotes survive injection well, achieving transgenic efficiencies comparable to F1 and far exceeding C57BL/6J, and their well‑characterized genetics make the strain advantageous for transgenic studies.

Abstract

FVB/N mice offer a system suitable for most transgenic experiments and subsequent genetic analyses. The inbred FVB/N strain is characterized by vigorous reproductive performance and consistently large litters. Moreover, fertilized FVB/N eggs contain large and prominent pronuclei, which facilitate microinjection of DNA. The phenotype of large pronuclei in the zygote is a dominant trait associated with the FVB/N oocyte but not the FVB/N sperm. In experiments to generate transgenic mice, the same DNA constructs were injected into three different types of zygotes: FVB/N, C57BL/6J, and (C57BL/6J x SJL/J)F1. FVB/N zygotes survived well after injection, and transgenic animals were obtained with efficiencies similar to the F1 zygotes and much better than the C57BL/6J zygotes. Genetic markers of the FVB/N strain have been analyzed for 44 loci that cover 15 chromosomes and were compared with those of commonly used inbred strains. In addition to the albino FVB/N strain, pigmented congenic strains of FVB/N are being constructed. These features make the FVB/N strain advantageous to use for research with transgenic mice.