Demyelination in a transgenic mouse: A model for multiple sclerosis

A transgenic mouse containing 70 copies (ND4) of the transgene encoding DM20, a myelin proteolipid protein, appeared clinically normal up to 3 months of age. By 8-10 months, it showed tremors, unsteady gait, and died shortly thereafter. We concluded that the clinical symptoms correlated with demyelination based on the following criteria: 1) at 10 months of age only 17% of the amount of myelin obtained from normal mice was isolated from the ND4 …