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Mice xenotransplanted with human cells and/or expressing human gene products (also known as "humanized mice") recapitulate the human evolutionary specialization and diversity of genotypic and phenotypic traits. These models can provide a relevant in vivo context for understanding of human‐specific physiology and pathologies. Humanized mice have advanced toward mainstream preclinical models and are now at the forefront of biomedical research. Here, we considered innovations and challenges regarding the reconstitution of human immunity and human tissues, modeling of human infections and cancer, and the use of humanized mice for testing drugs or regenerative therapy products. As the number of publications exploring different facets of humanized mouse models has steadily increased in past years, it is becoming evident that standardized reporting is needed in the field. Therefore, an international community‐driven resource called "Minimal Information for Standardization of Humanized Mice" (MISHUM) has been created for the purpose of enhancing rigor and reproducibility of studies in the field. Within MISHUM, we propose comprehensive guidelines for reporting critical information generated using humanized mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances have documented the development of lung vasculature before and after birth, but less is known of the growth and maturation of airway vasculature. We sought to determine whether airway vasculature changes during the perinatal period and when the typical adult pattern develops. On embryonic day 16.5 mouse tracheas had a primitive vascular plexus unlike the adult airway vasculature, but instead resembling the yolk sac vasculature. Soon after birth (P0), the primitive vascular plexus underwent abrupt and extensive remodeling. Blood vessels overlying tracheal cartilage rings regressed from P1 to P3 but regrew from P4 to P7 to form the hierarchical, segmented, ladder-like adult pattern. Hypoxia and HIF-1α were present in tracheal epithelium over vessels that survived but not where they regressed. These findings reveal the plasticity of airway vasculature after birth and show that these vessels can be used to elucidate factors that promote postnatal vascular remodeling and maturation. Developmental Dynamics 239:2354-2366, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]