Effects of H-2 haplotype and gender on the lifespan of A and C57BL/6 mice and their F1, F2, and backcross offspring.

The effects of H-2 type and gender on the lifespan of A and C57BL/6 mice and their F1, F2, and backcross offspring were studied. The proportion of mice remaining alive, percent survivors, was calculated at monthly intervals for each mating group. Statistical analyses of these survival data showed that, in agreement with studies from other laboratories, C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice lived significantly longer than A (H-2a) mice. When the survival curves for A and C57BL/6 backcross and F2 offspring were analyzed to test for the presence of an H-2 effect on mouse lifespan, no statistically significant association was detected, although a trend toward increased 10th decile survivorship among female H-2a mice was noted. The mice used in this study were also evaluated for the presence of an effect of gender on lifespan. Female mice of the A strain, and F1, F2, and backcross groups, but not the C57BL/6 mice, exhibited significantly longer lifespans when compared with their male counterparts. Thus these data show a significant gender effect, but only a trend towards an H-2 effect, on the lifespan of A and C57BL/6 mice and their F1, F2, and backcross offspring.