Consomic rat model systems for physiological genomics. Acta Physiol Scand 2004 Aug;181(4):585-92
Date
07/31/2004Pubmed ID
15283774DOI
10.1111/j.1365-201X.2004.01334.xScopus ID
2-s2.0-4043089215 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 107 CitationsAbstract
A consomic rat strain is one in which an entire chromosome is introgressed into the isogenic background of another inbred strain using marker-assisted selection. The development and physiological screening of two inbred consomic rat panels on two genetic backgrounds (44 strains) is well underway. Consomic strains enable one to assign traits and quantitative trait loci (QTL) to chromosomes by surveying the panel of strains with substituted chromosomes. They enable the rapid development of congenic strains over a narrow region and enable one to perform F2 linkage studies to positionally locate QTL on a single chromosome with a fixed genetic background. These rodent model systems overcome many of the problems encountered with segregating crosses where even if linkage is found, each individual in the cross is genetically unique and the combination of genes cannot be reproduced or studied in detail. For physiologists, consomics enable studies to be performed in a replicative or longitudinal manner to elucidate in greater detail the sequential expression of genes responsible for the observed phenotypes of these animals. They often provide the best available inbred control strains for physiological comparisons with the parental strains and they enable one to assess the impact of a causal gene region in a genome by allowing comparisons of the effect of replacement of a specific chromosome on a disease susceptible or a resistant genomic background. Consomic rat strains are proving to be a unique scientific resource that can greatly extend our understanding of genes and their role in the regulation of complex function and disease.
Author List
Cowley AW Jr, Liang M, Roman RJ, Greene AS, Jacob HJAuthor
Allen W. Cowley Jr PhD Professor in the Physiology department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsAnimals, Congenic
Chromosome Mapping
Genetic Linkage
Genomics
Models, Animal
Phenotype
Rats