Establishment of modified chimeric mice using GFP bone marrow as a model for neurological disorders

Chimeric mice stably reconstituted with bone marrow cells represent a good model for analysis of the mechanism of bone marrow cell infiltration in the brain. However, in preparing chimeric mice, irradiation of the recipient mice is necessary to kill their own bone marrow before transplantation, which induces gliosis and inflammatory response by activation of astrocytes and microglia in the brain. Here, we determined the most suitable dose of irradiation associated with the least brain damage before transplantation for reconstitution of chimeric mice, using FACS analysis. Our mouse model of 10 Gy body/5Gy head irradiation should be useful for investigating the mechanism(s) of microglial activation in various neurological disorders such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.