A murine model of cystic fibrosis.

We have generated a mouse line in which the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene has been mutated by gene targeting. Like human cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, mice lacking a functional CFTR gene, referred to as CFTR(-/-) mice, show increased numbers of goblet cells and obstruction of glands with inspissated eosinophilic secretions. The obstruction of glands often results in the destruction of gland-containing tissues in these animals. However, unlike the case in human CF patients, the most severe pathological changes in these mice were found, on preliminary analysis, to be confined to the intestinal tract and gallbladder. Although respiratory failure is the primary cause of death among humans with CF, we found only minor pathological alterations in the lungs and upper airways of our CFTR(-/-) animals. Possible explanations for the apparent lack of respiratory disease are the young age at which the animals were examined and the pathogen-free environment in which they were housed. In this manuscript, we examine the respiratory and other organ systems of CFTR(-/-) mice that have survived to adulthood. We also report on initial experiments in which CFTR(-/-) mice have been exposed to bacterial pathogens, and we present data on a single animal that displayed severe respiratory disease.