ABSTRACT
Inbred laboratory mice have long been the species of choice for biomedical research. This is due to (1) the relatively low cost of maintaining a colony, (2) the genetic homogeneity of inbred mice, (3) the availability of numerous reagents for very specialized testing, (4) the high degree of genetic homology between mice and humans, and (5) the many sophisticated genetic tools available for working with mice. Mutations in laboratory mice may occur naturally, in part due to inbreeding, or may be induced using transgenic and gene targeting (called “knock-out”) technology, radiation, mutagenic chemicals, or viruses.
