nude mouse (redirected from Athymic mouse)

Nude Mouse

A mutant strain of lab mouse that is hairless, thymusless due to congenital thymic aplasia, and T cell-less.

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mouse [mows]

a small rodent, various species of which are used in laboratory experiments.

1. a small loose body.

2. a computer pointing device.

joint mouse a movable fragment of synovial membrane, cartilage, or other body within a joint; usually associated with degenerative osteoarthritis and osteochondritis dissecans.

knockout mouse a mouse that has had a specific gene artificially deleted from its genome.

nude mouse a mouse homozygous for the nu gene; these mice are hairless, lack a thymus, and thus lack T lymphocytes.

peritoneal mouse a free body in the peritoneal cavity, probably a small detached mass or omentum, sometimes visible radiographically.

SCID mouse (severe combined immunodeficiency) a strain of mice lacking in T and B lymphocytes and immunoglobulins, either from inbreeding with an autosomal recessive trait or from genetic engineering, used as a model for studies of the immune system.

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nude mouse

inbred strain of laboratory mouse which is hairless and has no thymic tissue. Because it has no source of T lymphocytes, it suffers from a defect in cell-mediated immunity and is highly susceptible to infections. This trait is utilized for immunological studies. Called also athymic mouse.