AG129 Mouse

Interferons (IFNs) are potent cytokines that serve as a critical component of the body's first line of defense against viral infections, playing a key role in inflammation and immune control by directly inducing pathogen-inhibiting molecules that suppress viral replication ^[1]. Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) like Dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV), and Yellow Fever virus (YFV) encode proteins that antagonize the IFN response, helping these viruses evade host immunity and maintain sufficient viral loads in the blood (viremia) to sustain the vector-host transmission. Arboviruses pose a significant public health threat, affecting around 3.9 billion people in tropical and subtropical regions. However, most preclinical studies suggest that arboviruses cannot inhibit IFN responses in mice, rendering immunocompetent mice resistant to infection, with low viral loads and limited circulation, thus limiting their use in infection research ^[2-3]. As a result, immunodeficient mouse models with defects in multiple IFN signaling pathways have become essential tools for studying arbovirus pathogenesis and vaccine development ^[2-4].

Studies have demonstrated that wild-type mice of strains like C57BL/6, CD-1, or 129 rarely exhibit clinical symptoms after infection with arboviruses such as ZIKV. However, the virus has been detected in the blood, ovaries, and spleen of ZIKV-infected 129 mice, suggesting that this strain may be more susceptible to arboviruses ^[5-6]. Because the virus can persist in the bloodstream without causing disease or death, the 129 strain can be used to evaluate the teratogenic effects of such viruses. Furthermore, the 129 strain is commonly used in interferon signaling-deficient models related to other viral infections ^[7-8].

The IFNAR1 gene encodes a key component of the type I IFN receptor, while the IFNGR1 gene encodes the ligand-binding chain (α) of the type II (γ) IFN receptor. AG129 mice, which are knockout models for both the type I (α/β) IFN receptor (Ifnar1) and the type II (γ) IFN receptor (Ifngr1), lack functional IFNAR1 and IFNGR1 proteins, resulting in deficiencies in α/β/γ interferon receptor signaling and heightened susceptibility to viral infections. Homozygous AG129 mice are viable and fertile, and exhibit increased sensitivity to arboviral infections, generating viremia similar to that seen in humans. Compared to IFNα/β/γR KO mice on the C57BL/6 background, the 129-background AG129 mice exhibit more pronounced neurological symptoms after infection ^[6,9].