Skin Fragility in the Wild-Derived, Inbred Mouse Strain Mus Pahari/EiJ

The study investigated the skin fragility of the wild-derived, inbred mouse strain Mus pahari/EiJ, which exhibited a significantly lower force threshold for tail skin rupture compared to other inbred mouse species. Histological analysis revealed that the skin separated at the subdermal level, with abnormal thickening and branching of dermal collagen bundles and altered elastin fiber deposition near hair follicles. These findings suggested that M. pahari had altered extracellular matrix development, leading to skin separation similar to the African spiny mouse. The study highlighted the unique skin characteristics of M. pahari, which were not previously noted in its original phenotypic description.