Mus musculus
CAST/EiJ
https://www.jax.org/strain/000928
Sirarat Sarntivijai
Both CAST/EiJ and CASA/RkJ (Stock No. 000735) were derived from wild mice trapped in Thailand. CAST is often combined with the common laboratory strains to generate F1 hybrids with high levels of heterozygosity for use in genetic mapping. Unlike the wild-derived strain SPRET, male F1 mice from a CAST cross are fertile.
Like CASA, CAST is resistant to flavivirus infection. The flavivirus family includes pathogens responsible for dengue, yellow fever and several forms of encephalitis. Most common laboratory mice are sensitive to flavivirus infection. Resistance/sensitivity is conferred through the oligoA synthase Oas1b locus. In a comparison of multiple strains, CASA and CAST exhibit reduced numbers of retinal ganglion cells as compared to common laboratory strains and other wild-derived strains. In a 2015 study comparing CAST/Ei and the other Collaborative Cross inbred strains (A/J, C3H/HeJ, C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, 129S1/SvImJ, NOD/LtJ, NZO/HlLtJ, and WSB/EiJ), dorsal root ganglion neurons from CAST/Ei mice demonstrate a significantly improved ability to regenerate axons in an inhibitory environment as determined by an increase in number of neurons with neurites and longer axonal process per neuron under both naive and pre-injured conditions. In addition, as compared to neurons from C57BL/6 mice, CAST/Ei neurons exhibit more extensive axonal regeneration in the spinal cord and optic nerve following injury and show greater sprouting following ischemic stroke.
Wild-derived mice are genetically distinct from common laboratory mice for a number of complex phenotypic characteristics and are valuable tools for genetic mapping, evolution and systematics research.
CAST