Fifty years of the asebia mouse: origins, insights and contemporary developments

First described as an alopecic spontaneous mutant mouse line lacking sebaceous glands in a publication in Science in 1965 by Allen H. Gates and Marvin Karasek, asebia mice soon became a popular tool for rodent sebaceous gland research. In addition to the study of sebaceous lipids, the original asebia mice and subsequent allelic mutations were widely employed to examine the influence of the sebaceous gland on hair growth, epidermal proliferation, dermal inflammation and skin carcinogenesis, among other aspects. With the identification of Scd1 gene mutations as the genetic basis of the asebia phenotype and with the advent of more refined methods for manipulating the mouse genome, asebia mice progressively lost importance. However, they contributed to, or even provided the initial spark for, several current research topics. These include the role of the sebaceous gland in hair shaft-sheath interaction and its significance for cicatricial alopecia, and the antimicrobial activity of sebum. Furthermore, mice with skin-specific deletion of SCD1, which have increased energy expenditure and are protected from high fat diet-induced obesity, provided novel insights into the crosstalk between the skin and peripheral tissues in maintaining energy homeostasis. In briefly reviewing its story, this commentary pays tribute to asebia mice and to the original publication in its golden anniversary year.