Evaluation of gene expression in muscle in mouse model lacking of vitamin C synthesis

Background Human species and guinea pigs have to obtain vitamin C (VC) from food because they are unable to synthesize ascorbic acid due to the absence of the gene that encodes L-gulonolactone oxidase (Gulo). The spontaneous bone fracture (sfx) mouse is a mouse model which is deficient in the synthesis of VC because of the deletion in Gulo gene. Because muscle forces are a strong determinant of bone structure, particularly during the process of growth and development, we examined the gene expression of muscle in sfx mice.