If Im reading a reference that mentions C57BL/6 mice, is it safe to assume they are referring to C57BL/6J mice?
The “J” in C57BL/6J is the laboratory code for The Jackson Laboratory. These laboratory codes are added to strain names to indicate the potential for genetic drift that may arise as a result of maintaining colonies independently. If a lab code is not added to the end of a strain name, it is always a good idea to contact the primary investigator for additional information on the source of the animals used in their studies. Laboratory codes are registered with the Institute for Laboratory Animal Resources (ILAR). The ILAR Web site is accessible at: http://dels.nas.edu/ilar.
