A genetic mouse model to investigate hyperoxic acute lung injury survival

• Published in: Physiological genomics Vol. 30; no. 3; pp. 262 - 270
• Main Authors: Prows, Daniel R, Hafertepen, Amanda P, Gibbons, William J., Jr, Winterberg, Abby V, Nick, Todd G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Am Physiological Soc 20-08-2007
• Subjects: Animals; Breeding; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Hyperoxia - complications; Inheritance Patterns - genetics; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C3H; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Inbred CBA; Mice, Inbred DBA; Models, Genetic; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult - genetics; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult - mortality; Survival; Survival Analysis; Time Factors
• ISSN: 1094-8341; 1531-2267
• DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00232.2006

1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
2 Division and Program in Human Genetics, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
3 Center for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Acute lung injury (ALI) is a devastating disease that maintains a high mortality rate, despite decades of research. Hyperoxia, a universal treatment for ALI and other critically ill patients, can itself cause pulmonary damage, which drastically restricts its therapeutic potential. We stipulate that having the ability to use higher levels of supplemental O 2 for longer periods would improve recovery rates. Toward this goal, a mouse model was sought to identify genes contributing to hyperoxic ALI (HALI) mortality. Eighteen inbred mouse strains were screened in continuous >95% O 2 . A significant survival difference was identified between sensitive C57BL/6J and resistant 129X1/SvJ strains. Although resistant, only one-fourth of 129X1/SvJ mice survived longer than any C57BL/6J mouse, demonstrating decreased penetrance of resistance. A survival time difference between reciprocal F 1 mice implicated a parent-of-origin (imprinting) effect. To further evaluate imprinting and begin to delineate the genetic components of HALI survival, we generated and phenotyped offspring from all four possible intercrosses. Segregation analysis supported maternal inheritance of one or more genes but paternal inheritance of one or more contributor genes. A significant sex effect was demonstrated, with males more resistant than females for all F 2 crosses. Survival time ranges and sensitive-to-resistant ratios of the different F 2 crosses also supported imprinting and predicted that increased survival is due to dominant resistance alleles contributed by both the resistant and sensitive parental strains. HALI survival is multigenic with a complex mode of inheritance, which should be amenable to genetic dissection with this mouse model.
complex trait; imprinting; segregation analysis; mean survival time