Establishing EGFP congenic mice in a NOD/Shi-scid IL2Rg(null) (NOG) genetic background using a marker-assisted selection protocol (MASP).

Severely immunocompromised NOD/Shi-scid IL2Rg (null) (NOG) mice, which show higher engraftment efficiency, are useful as recipients in xenotransplantation studies. We generated a NOG-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgenic (Tg) mouse (NOG-EGFP) that was introduced the EGFP transgene from the C57BL/6-EGFP Tg mouse using the speed congenic method with a marker-assisted selection protocol (MASP). With this method, the selection of the male with the closest NOG strain type was repeated four times. When human cord blood CD34(+) cells were transplanted into NOD/Shi-scid, NOG, and NOG-EGFP mice (N(6)), the engraftment efficiency of the NOG-EGFP mice was significantly higher than that of the NOD/Shi- scid mice and was similar to that of the NOG mice. These results suggest that the NOG-EGFP mice, which were generated using the congenic method with MASP, acquired the immunological properties of the NOG mice.