Origin: National Institutes of Health (USA) - 1996 

Strain name: FVB/NRj 

Type : Inbred mouse 

Colour and related genotype: Albino mouse 

Breeding: Good breeder, aggressive male, moderate growth 

In 1966, 2 strains of NIH SWISS mice, HSFR/N and HSFS/N, were selected based on their resistance or sensitivity, respectively, to histamine following pertussis (whooping cough) vaccination. At the 8th generation (in 1970), the presence of the Fv1b allele, which induces sensitivity to the B strain of the Friend murine leukemia virus, was highlighted in the HSFS/N strain. Mice homozygous for this allele were inbred thus creating the FVB/N strain. The presence of large pronuclei in the embryos, which helps micro-injection and their large litters contribute to the suitability of the FVB/N strain for transgenesis. When compared to other inbred strains, FVB/N‘s respiratory system is sensitive to asthma with an important production of antigen-specific IgE antibodies. Its H2q MHC haplotype non-withstanding, FVB/N mice are resistant to the induction of arthritis by collagen injection. FVB/N mice are very active and develop a mild hyperthermia under stress. The FVB/N strain does not develop spontaneous tumours and shows a certain resistance to the chemical induction of papillomas, which, when they do appear, most of the time progress to carcinomas. This strain is homozygous for the Pde6brd1 allele which leads to retinal degeneration.