The present volume of "Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology" is a series of papers on subjects that are relevant to the growing use of 'wild mice' in immunological, microbiological and genetical research. 'Wild mice' is a jargonistic term that is used chiefly in the laboratory to refer to the naturally living forms of house mice (Mus musculus) and also other species closely related to M. musculus. This group of species is designated by systematists as the genus Mus. Immunologists began 20 years ago to study the polymorphisms of 1mmunoglobulins and major histocompatibility complex antigens in wild mice. An extrordinary extension of the highly polymorphic array of phenotypes known in inbred mice was encountered. Breeding stocks of wild mice were brought into the laboratory. This included not only M. musculus but a)so many of the available species in the genus Mus-from Southeast Asia ~nd Europe. This availability led to other comparisons of 'wild' and inbred mice and the discovery of other new and interesting phenotypes and genotypes. It became apparent that inbred strains of mice provided only a limited window for viewing the genetic diversity of Mus musculus.

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Systematics.- Origin and Evolution of Mice: An Appraisal of Fossil Evidence and Morphological Traits.- Systematics of the Genus Mus.- Evolutionary Relationships in the Genus Mus.- Constitutive Heterochromatin and Evolutionary Divergence of Mus dunni, M. booduga and M. musculus.- The Potential Use of Repetitive Sequences in Phylogenetic Reconstructions.- Population Genetics.- Genetic Features of Major Geographical Isolates of Mus musculus.- A Hybrid Origin of Japanese Mice "Mus musculus molossinus".- Some Aspects of Robertsonian Karyotype Variation in European Wild Mice.- Genetic Analysis of a Hybrid Zone Between Domesticus and Musculus Mice (Mus musculus Complex): Hemoglobin Polymorphisms.- Genetical Processes in Wild Mouse Populations. Past Myth and Present Knowledge.- A Method for Rapid Determination of Male Mouse Genotypes and Transmission Distortion by Breeding with Estrous Females.- MHC Polymorphism in Island Populations of Mice.- Polymorphisms.- The Contribution of Wild Derived Mouse Inbred Strains to Gene Mapping Methodology.- Alleles of ?-Glucuronidase Found in Wild Mice.- Genetic Variation in Major Urinary Proteins in Wild Mice.- Immobilized-gradient Isoelectric Focusing: Detection of "Silent" Biochemical Genetic Variants.- Ig Heavy Chain.- Evolution of the Mouse IgA Gene: Nucleotide Sequence Comparison of IgA in BALB/c and Mus pahari.- Evolution of Immunologically Important Genes in the Genus Mus.- The X-24 VH Gene Family in Inbred Mouse Strains and Wild Mice.- Polymorphism and Evolution of Igh-V Gene Families.- Ig Kappa.- Igk Polymorphism in M. musculus domesticus Populations from Maryland and Delaware.- Restriction Enzyme Polymorphisms in VK and JK Genes of Inbred and Wild Mice.- Ig Lambda.- Evidence That Wild Mice (Mus musculus musoulus) Express Lambda Genes That Differ from Those in BALB/c.- A Comparative Analyis of the Anti-Phosphorylcholine Response of CLA and BALB/c Mice.- ?1 Bearing Antibodies Against the ?(1-3) and ?(1-6)Glycosidic Linkages of the B1355 Dextran in Wild Mice.- Lymphocyte Alloantigens.- Polymorphism of Lymphocyte Antigens-Encoding Loci in Wild Mice.- t-Haplotypes and H-2.- On the Origin of t Chromosomes.- Amplification and Rearrangement of DNA Sequences During the Evolutionary Divergence of t Haplotypes and Wild-Type Forms of Mouse Chromosome 17.- H-2.- Genetic Diversity of Class II Genes in Wild Mice: Definition of Five Evolutionary Groups by RFLP Analysis of A? and A?.- Gene-Specific Structures Within Class I Genes from Mus musculus domesticus are Conserved in Class I Genes from Mus pahari.- Genetic Variants of Histocompatibility Antigens from Wild Mice.- Polymorphism and Recombinational Hot Spots in the Murine MHC.- The t-Complex and Ovarian Teratocarcinogenesis.- T-Cell Receptor.- The Context of T Cell Receptor ? Chain Genes Among Wild and Inbred Mouse Species.- Correlation of CT? Phenotype with Origins of Laboratory Mouse Strains.- Genes Determining Resistance and Susceptibility to Infections.- Susceptibility of Mus musculus musculus (Czech I) Mice to Salmonella typhimurium Infection.- Genetically Controlled Resistance to Flaviviruses Within the House Mouse Complex of Species.- Variable Resistance to Ectromelia (Mousepox) Virus Among Genera of Mus.- Expression of the Natural Resistance Gene (Lsh) in Wild Mice Infected Experimentally with Leishmania donovani or Salmonella typhimurium.- Genetic Resistance to Influenza Virus in Wild Mice.- Molecular Mechanism of an Ecotropic MuLV Restriction Gene Akvr-1/FV-4 in California Wild Mice.- Retroviral Genes.- Xenotropic and MCF Related Retroviral Genes in Wild Mice.- Mammary Tumorigenesis in Feral Species of the Genus Mus.- Endogenous MMTV Proviral Genomes in Feral Mus musculus domesticus.- List of Wild Mouse Stocks and Sources.- Listing of Stocks and Strains of Mice in the Genus Mus Derived from the Feral State.