The C3H/HeJ inbred mouse is a model of vesico-ureteric reflux with a susceptibility locus on chromosome 12

Vesico-ureteric reflux is the most common congenital anomaly of the urinary tract, characterized by a defective uretero-vesical junction with retrograde urine flow from the bladder toward the kidneys. Because there is strong evidence for a genetic basis for some cases of vesico-ureteric reflux, we screened 11 inbred mouse strains for reflux and kidney size and identified one strain, C3H/HeJ, that has a 100 percent incidence of vesico-ureteric reflux with otherwise normal kidneys at birth. These mice are predisposed to reflux as a result of a defective uretero-vesical junction characterized by a short intravesical ureter. This defect results from a delay in urinary tract development initially manifested by a ureteric bud arising from a more caudal location along the mesonephric duct. In contrast, C57BL/6J mice (resistant to reflux at birth) have long intravesical ureters, normally positioned ureteric buds, and no delay in urinary tract development. Genome-wide and additional fine mapping of backcross mice, derived from C3H/HeJ and C57BL/6J crosses, identified a significant reflux susceptibility locus, Vurm1, on chromosome 12 (peak logarithm of the odds=7.39). The C3H/HeJ mouse is a model of vesico-ureteric reflux without renal malformation, and further characterization of this model will allow for the identification of a pathway important for urinary tract development, a finding that will serve as a model for the human disorder.