title: Insufficiently defined genetic background confounds phenotypes in transgenic studies as exemplified by malaria infection in Tlr9 knockout mice.
abstract: The use of genetically modified mice, i.e. transgenic as well as gene knockout (KO) and knock-in mice, has become an established tool to study gene function in many animal models for human diseases. However, a gene functions in a particular genomic context. This implies the importance of a well-defined homogenous genetic background for the analysis and interpretation of phenotypes associated with genetic mutations. By studying a Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi AS (PcAS) malaria infection in mice bearing a TLR9 null mutation, we found an increased susceptibility to infection, i.e. higher parasitemia levels and increased mortality. However, this was not triggered by the deficient TLR9 gene itself. Instead, this disease phenotype was dependent on the heterogeneous genetic background of the mice, which appeared insufficiently defined as determined by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. Hence, it is of critical importance to study gene KO phenotypes on a homogenous genetic background identical to that of their wild type (WT) control counterparts. In particular, to avoid problems related to an insufficiently defined genetic background, we advocate that for each study involving genetically modified mice, at least a detailed description of the origin and genetic background of both the WT control and the altered strain of mice is essential.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunobiology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Geurts
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martens
authors.forename: Sebastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Verhenne
authors.forename: Natacha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lays
authors.forename: Greet
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thijs
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Magez
authors.forename: Bénédicte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cauwe
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hubertine
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Heremans
authors.forename: Ghislain
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Opdenakker
authors.forename: Philippe E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Van den Steen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008288:Malaria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D016788:Plasmodium chabaudi / Q000472:pathogenicity; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D051217:Toll-Like Receptor 9 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C495370:Tlr9 protein, mouse; D051217:Toll-Like Receptor 9
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