RESUMEN
Wild-derived rat strains can provide novel genome resources that are not available in standard laboratory strains. Genetic backgrounds of wild-derived strains can facilitate effective genetic linkage analyses and often modulate the expression of mutant phenotypes. Here we describe the development and characterization of a new inbred rat strain, DOB/Oda, from wild rats (Rattus norvegicus) captured in Shitara, Aichi, Japan. Phenotype analysis of 109 parameters revealed that the DOB/Oda rats had small body weight, preference for darkness, and high locomotor activity compared with the rat strains in the National BioResource Project for the Rat (NBRP-Rat) database. Genome analysis with 357 SSLP markers identified DOB/Oda-specific alleles in 70 markers. The percentage of SSLP markers that showed polymorphism between the DOB/Oda strain and any of 132 laboratory strains from NBRP-Rat varied from 89 to 95 %. The polymorphic rate (average of the values of the percentage) for the DOB/Oda strain was 91.6 %, much higher than the rates for available wild-derived strains such as the Brown Norway rat. A phylogenic tree constructed with DOB/Oda and all the strains in NBRP-Rat showed that the DOB/Oda strain localized within the wild rat groups, apparently separate from the laboratory strains. Together, these findings indicated that the DOB/Oda rat has a unique genome that is not available in the laboratory strains. Therefore, the new DOB/Oda strain will provide an important genome resource that will be useful for designing genetic experiments and for the discovery of genes that modulate mutant phenotypes.
Asunto(s)
Ratas Endogámicas/genética , Animales , Peso Corporal/genética , Cruzamiento , Femenino , Genoma/genética , Genotipo , Japón , Masculino , Fenotipo , Polimorfismo Genético , RatasRESUMEN
In order to establish a system to facilitate the systematic collection, preservation, and provision of laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus) and their derivates, the National BioResource Project-Rat (NBRP-Rat) was launched in July 2002. By the end of 2008, more than 500 rat strains had been collected and preserved as live animals, embryos, or sperm. These rat resources are supplied to biomedical scientists in Japan as well as in other countries. This review article introduces NBRP-Rat and highlights the phenome project, recombinant inbred strains, BAC clone libraries, and the ENU-mutant archive, named the Kyoto University Rat Mutant Archive (KURMA). The future direction of rat resources are also discussed.