Skin Morphology of the Mutant Hairless USP Mouse

The study examined the skin morphology of mutant hairless USP mice compared to BALB/c mice using various histological methods. It was found that the mutant mice developed cystic formations in the dermis, which increased in size and number with age, and their skin thickness significantly increased by 8 months. Differences in dermal collagen fiber thickness were suggested by polarized light examination. Both mouse strains showed similar presence of elastic fibers, glycosaminoglycans, fibronectin, laminin, mast cells, and macrophages. The primary distinction was the presence of enlarged cysts in the hairless mice, with no other qualitative differences in skin development between the two strains.