The AXB and BXA recombinant inbred strains were derived from a reciprocal cross between A/J (A) and C57BL/6J (B6 or B). Both parental strains have been sequenced, making this a particularly powerful set of RI strains for functional and genetic analyses. Data acquired using AXB and BXA subsets should be combined; the only difference being the polarity of intercross matings that generated (A x B)F1s and (B x A)F1s. AXB and BXA strains were all produced by Muriel Nesbitt at UCSD in the mid and late 1970s and first used in the early 1980s (Skamene et al., 1984; Peleg and Nesbitt, 1984; Marshal and Paigen, 1993). The set was imported into The Jackson Laboratory by Beverly Paigen (Pgn) in the early 1990s. As of 2004, approximately 25 viable and fully independent AXB/BXA strains are available.

Several nominally independent strains in the AXB and BXA sets are very closely related. These duplicates should not be used without special statistical precaution. The most obvious option is to combine and average data from these strains except when their phenotypes differ significantly (Taylor 1996; Williams et al., 2001).

AXB13=AXB14: 92.74% identity in an analysis of 8429 markers. AXB14/PgnJ (JAX001684) was renamed AXB13a/PgnJ (see JAXNotes issue number 504, Winter 2006).
AXB18=AXB19=AXB20: 97 to 99% identity (AXB18 to AXB19 = 98.16% identity, AXB18 to AXB20 = 95.72% identity, AXB19 to AXB20 = 97.34% identity n an analysis of 8429 markers). AXB18 (JAX001686) was renamed AXB19a; AXB19 (JAX001687) was NOT renamed and is still AXB19, and AXB20 (JAX001688) was renamed AXB19b (see JAXNotes issue number 504, Winter 2006).
BXA8=BXA17: 99.79% identity in an analysis of 8429 markers. BXA17 has been discarded as a strain. The orginal BXA17 was lost between 1989 and 1990. (Updated from Williams et al. 2001; see JAXNotes issue number 504, Winter 2006).).

About the genotypes associated with these strains:

Please see The Genetic Structure of Recombinant Inbred Mice.

About the acquisition these data:

Published phenotypes were obtained through a literature search of all PubMed indexed journals. Whenever possible, exact values of graphically represented data were obtained from the authors. In all other cases graphs were measured using a vernier caliper. Additional published and unpublished phenotypes were submitted directly by investigators. These records have Record ID numbers less than 1.

The special AXB/BXA genotype data set that we use in GeneNetwork may be download as a "AXBXA.geno" file and opened with any text editor or even a spreadsheet program. This file is tab-delimited and includes the approximately centimorgan and basepair (megabasepair) location of the marekers, as well as the genotypes. Genotypes for several sets of strains have been combined. To obtain the original uncombined genotypes, please link to http://www.well.ox.ac.uk/mouse/INBREDS/ .

How to obtain these strains:

Please see http://jaxmice.jax.org/jaxmicedb/html/rcbinbred.shtml

Submitting data and reporting errors:

The utility of the AXB/BXA phenotype database increases significantly as each new phenotype is incorporated. To submit new data or report errors, please contact Elissa J. Chesler and Robert W. Williams at University of Tennessee Health Science Center