Role of the Nh (Non-hair) mutation in the development of dermatitis and hyperproduction of IgE in DS-Nh mice

The DS-Nh (DS Non-hair) mouse is a spontaneous hairless mutant of the DS mouse. The inheritance mode of the Nh mutation is autosomal dominant, and the Nh locus is mapped to Chromosome 11. The roles of the Nh mutation in spontaneous dermatitis and IgE hyperproduction were studied using an Nh congenic strain with a genetic background from the BALB/c mouse. In contrast to DS-Nh (Nh/+) mice, BALB/c-Nh (Nh/+) mice under conventional conditions showed a marked increase in serum IgE, without the development of dermatitis. These results suggest that IgE hyperproduction is regulated by the Nh mutation, while other genetic factor(s) are also involved in the development of dermatitis.