title: The Cri1 locus is the common genetic cause of susceptibility to Citrobacter rodentium infection in C3H and FVB mouse strains.
abstract: Citrobacter rodentium is a natural pathogen of mice that causes intestinal hyperplasia and colitis. Resistant strains such as C57BL/6J (B6) experience a self-limiting disease that peaks between one and two weeks post infection, followed by a clearing of the infection and complete recovery. However, the inbred mouse strains C3H/HeJ (C3), C3H/HeOuJ (C3Ou) and FVB/N (FVB) are highly susceptible to C. rodentium infection and develop more severe symptoms of disease leading to high rates of mortality during infection. We have recently demonstrated through a systematic genetics approach that a single locus on proximal chromosome 15 is responsible for the susceptibility of both C3 and C3Ou mice to C. rodentium infection. We have named the locus Citrobacter rodentium infection 1 (Cri1). Here we show that Cri1 also controls susceptibility to C. rodentium in FVB mice, using a targeted method of genotyping to stratify (B6 x FVB)F2 mice according to their genotype at Cri1. Mice that inherit two copies of the resistant B6 allele have 97% cumulative survival at day 30 post-infection, whereas those that inherit one or two copies of Cri1 from the FVB parent have significantly lower rates of survival (35% and 42%, respectively). These results provide evidence for a common genetic cause of fatal infectious colitis in C3, C3Ou and FVB mice following infection with Citrobacter rodentium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Sarah Ann
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Teatero
authors.forename: Jenny-Lee
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Thomassin
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Diez
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Malo
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gruenheid
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044082:Citrobacter rodentium / Q000502:physiology*; D004756:Enterobacteriaceae Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013045:Species Specificity