Mast Cell-Deficient Mouse Model

Six-to 8-week-old (young) and 8-to-12 month-old (aged) C57BL/6 wild-type and age-matched mast cell-deficient cKit^w-sh mice, congenic to C57BL/6 mice, (Stock No: 012861) were purchased from the Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME) for the described experiments. cKit^w-sh mice were confirmed for their deficiency in mast cells at the ocular surface and the lacrimal gland using flow cytometry. cKit^w-sh mice, unlike the other mast cell-deficient strain (cKit^w-v), have a comparable generation of CD45⁺ immune cells in the bone marrow^{9 (link),43 (link)}. The mice were housed in the Schepens Eye Research Institute animal vivarium. All experiments were reviewed and approved by the Schepens Eye Research Institute Animal Care and Use Committee. The mice were treated according to the ARVO Statement for the Use of Animals in Ophthalmic and Vision Research.