Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease - Immunodeficiency Disease or SCID mice cannot make
T cells or
B cells. Thus they are helpless not only to fight infection but also to reject transplanted tissue. This is due to exceedingly rare and useful recessive mutation on chromosome 16 responsible for deficient activity of an enzyme involved in DNA repair (in the Prkdc or "protein kinase, DNA activated, catalytic polypeptide" gene). Because
V(D)J recombination does not occur, the
humoral and cellular immune systems fail to mature. SCID mouse is therefore one of the best
animal models ever found for studying the basic biology of the
immune system as well as several diseases. They have been extensively used as hosts for normal and
malignant tissue transplants. In addition, they are useful for testing the safety of new vaccines or therapeutic agents in immunocompromised individuals.
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a mouse that lacks key immune system components. SCID mice are used as animal models in the study of transplantation and immune system disorders. SCID-hu mice have had their absent immune system replaced by human immune system components, allowing their use in the study of human immune disorders.