Five-year update on the mouse model of orthotopic lung transplantation: Scientific uses, tricks of the trade, and tips for success

It has been 5 years since our team reported the first successful model of orthotopic single lung transplantation in the mouse (1). There has been great demand for this technique due to the obvious experimental advantages the mouse offers over other large and small animal models of lung transplantation. These include the availability of mouse-specific reagents as well as knockout and transgenic technology. Our laboratory has utilized this mouse model to study both immunological and nonimmunological mechanisms of lung transplant physiology while others have focused on models of chronic rejection (1-19). It is surprising that despite our initial publication in 2007 only few other laboratories have published data using this model (20-25). This is likely due to the technical complexity of the surgical technique and perioperative complications, which can limit recipient survival (9,26). As two of the authors (XL and WL) have a combined experience of over 2500 left and right single lung transplants, this review will summarize their experience and delineate tips and tricks necessary for successful transplantation. We will also describe technical advances made since the original description of the model (1,5,6).