On-Demand Webinar

B6 Mice for Research: A Guide to Black 6 Mouse Substrains & Applications

About the webinar:

The C57BL/6 mouse is the most widely used strain in mouse research, but did you know there is no standard B6 strain? Many substrains of C57BL/6 (also known as B6 or Black 6) have developed over time, with differences both genetic and phenotypic. Inbred C57BL/6 mice are widely used in studies, but it is also the most common strain background for generation of new genetically engineered models (GEMs). Understanding the characteristics of different substrains can help you select the most appropriate B6 mouse for your study, whether in metabolic disease, immunology, behavior, oncology or another research application such as custom model generation.

This webinar covers the origins of the C57BL/6 inbred strain and the many current substrains available, applications of different substrains to particular experimental questions, and the implications of variability between B6 substrains for study design and the generation of genetically modified mice.

Watch this webinar to learn about:

  • Characteristics and applications of C57BL/6 mice
  • What substrains are and why they are important
  • Variations between B6 substrains — and how they affect your results
  • Considerations for the use of the C57BL/6 background for genetically modified mice

Speaker

Lisa Goldberg, PhD LinkedIn
Director, Scientific Program Management

Regina DeLellis

Lisa Goldberg, PhD is the Director of Scientific Program Management at Taconic Biosciences. She joined Taconic in 2021 as part of the Colony Management Solutions Strategy Design Group before moving into the Scientific Program Management team. Prior to joining Taconic, Dr. Goldberg received a bachelor's degree in neuroscience from Vassar College before pursuing her graduate training at Boston University School of Medicine, where she completed her PhD in biomedical pharmacology and neuroscience. During graduate school and her post-doctoral studies, Dr. Goldberg focused on investigating the genetic underpinnings of addiction-associated traits using forward genetics and genetically modified mouse models. Dr. Goldberg has published numerous scientific articles leveraging the reduced complexity of B6 substrain mice to identify genetic variants underlying neurobehavioral traits, such as drug sensitivity1,2, drug withdrawal2-4, binge eating5, and nociception6. Dr. Goldberg has more than 14 years of experience with the management and behavioral analyses of genetically engineered mouse models.

  1. Goldberg L, Yao E, Kelliher J, et al. A quantitative trait variant in Gabra2 underlies increased methamphetamine stimulant sensitivity. Genes Brain Behav. 2021 Nov;20(8):e12774. https://doi/10.1111/gbb.12774
  2. Seemiller L, Goldberg L, Smith P, et al. Genetic differences in nicotine sensitivity and metabolism in C57BL/6J and NOD/ShiLtJ mouse strains. Neuropharmacology. 2022 Dec 15:221:109279. https://doi/10.1016 
  3. Goldberg L, Kutlu M, Zeid D, Seemiller L et al. Systems genetic analysis of nicotine withdrawal deficits in hippocampus‐dependent learning. Genes Brain Behav. 2021 Apr 2:e12734. https://doi/10.1111/gbb.12734
  4. Goldberg L, Baskin B, Beierle J, et al. Atp1a2 and Kcnj9 are candidate genes underlying sensitivity to oxycodone-induced locomotor activation and withdrawal-induced anxiety-like behaviors in C57BL/6 substrains. Genes Brain Behav. 2025 Feb;24(1):e70009. https://doi/10.1111/gbb.70009
  5. Goldberg L, Kirkpatrick S, Yazdani N, et al. Casein kinase 1‐epsilon deletion increases mu opioid receptor‐dependent behaviors and binge eating 1. Genes Brain Behav. 2017 Sep;16(7):725-738. https://doi/10.1111/gbb.12397
  6. Bryant C, Bagdas D, Goldberg L. C57BL/6 substrain differences in inflammatory and neuropathic nociception and genetic mapping of a major quantitative trait locus underlying acute thermal nociception. Mol Pain. 2019 Jan-Dec:15:1744806918825046. https://doi/10.1177/1744806918825046

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Taconic Biosciences is a global leader in genetically engineered mouse models and colony management services. We support researchers in advancing their science with innovative, reliable solutions. Explore our Michael J. Fox Foundation model portfolio to discover how we can accelerate your Parkinson's disease research.

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