Definition of Nude mouse

Nude mouse: A mutant mouse said to be nude because it is hairless due to the presence two copies of the gene "nu" (for nude). Nude mice have no thymus and therefore no T cells, a class of lymphocytes that depend on the thymus to develop. For lack of T cells, nude mice cannot reject tumors or transplants of cells from humans or other animals.

Nude mice have served in the laboratory to gain insights into the immune system, leukemia, solid tumors, AIDS and other forms of immune deficiency. Nude mice were discovered and first bred by Miroslav Holub (1923-1998), a distinguished Czech immunologist and a renowned poet.