title: Breeding and preliminarily phenotyping of a congenic mouse model with alopecia areata.
abstract: In the current study, the alopecia areata gene was introduced into the C57BL/6 (B6) mouse through repeated backcrossing/intercrossing, and the allelic homozygosity of congenic AA(tj)mice (named B6.KM-AA) was verified using microsatellites. The gross appearance, growth characteristics, pathological changes in skin, and major organs of B6.KM-AA mice were observed. Counts and proportions of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T lymphocytes in peripheral blood were determined by flow cytometry. Results show that congenic B6.KM-AA mice were obtained after 10 generations of backcrossing/intercrossing. B6.KM-AA mice grew slower than B6 control mice and AA skin lesions were developed by four weeks of age. The number of hair follicles was reduced, but hair structures were normal. Loss of hair during disease progression was associated with CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T lymphocytes infiltration peri-and intra-hair follicles. No pathological changes were found in other organs except for the skin. In the peripheral blood of B6.KM-AA mice, the percentage of CD4⁺ T cells was lower and percentage of CD8⁺ T cells higher than in control mice. These findings indicate that B6.KM-AA mice are characterized by a dysfunctional immune system, retarded development and T-cell infiltration mediated hair loss, making them a promising new animal model for human alopecia areata.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Animal Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China.
authors.forename: Mei-Er
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Animal Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Animal Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China.
authors.forename: Chun-Feng
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Animal Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Ping
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Animal Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China.
authors.forename: Gui-Jie
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Animal Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China.
authors.forename: Li-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Animal Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Wei
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Animal Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China.
authors.forename: Li-Feng
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Animal Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Animal Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China. baojinwu@163.com.
authors.forename: Bao-Jin
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000506:Alopecia Areata / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D020296:Animals, Congenic; D001947:Breeding; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005808:Genes, Recessive; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D015430:Weight Gain
keywords: Alopecia areata; CD4; CD8; Congenic mouse; T-lymphocytes