Faculty Collaboration Database

BN phenome: detailed characterization of the cardiovascular, renal, and pulmonary systems of the sequenced rat. Physiol Genomics 2006 Apr 13;25(2):303-13

Date

02/16/2006

Pubmed ID

16478827

DOI

10.1152/physiolgenomics.00288.2005

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-33645761913 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   29 Citations

Abstract

The postgenome era has provided resources to link disease phenotypes to the genomic sequence, i.e., creating a disease "phenome." Our detailed characterization of the sequenced BN rat strain (BN/NHsdMcwi) provides the first concerted effort in creating a direct link between a sequenced genome and its resulting biology. For the BN sequence to be of broad value to investigators, these measures need to be put into the context of the spectrum of the laboratory rats, so that their physiology can be benchmarked against the sequenced BN. As a major step in generating a comprehensive cardiovascular and pulmonary disease phenome, we measured 281 traits related to diseases of the heart, lung, and blood (http://pga.mcw.edu) in the sequenced BN. We compared these data with those of the same traits measured across multiple genetic backgrounds, both genders, and differing environments. We show that no single strain, inbred or outbred, can be considered a physiological control strain; what is normal depends on what trait is being measured and the strains' genome backgrounds. We find vast differences between the genders, also dependent on genome background. By combining the values across all strains studied, we generated a "population" mean and normal range of values for each of these traits, which are more genetically representative than the measured values in any single inbred or outbred strain. These data provide a baseline for physiological comparison of traits related to cardiovascular, lung, blood, and renal function in the sequenced BN rats relative to the major strains of rats studied in biomedical research.

Author List

Kwitek AE, Jacob HJ, Baker JE, Dwinell MR, Forster HV, Greene AS, Kunert MP, Lombard JH, Mattson DL, Pritchard KA Jr, Roman RJ, Tonellato PJ, Cowley AW Jr

Authors

John E. Baker PhD Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Allen W. Cowley Jr PhD Professor in the Physiology department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Melinda R. Dwinell PhD Professor in the Physiology department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Anne E. Kwitek PhD Professor in the Physiology department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Kirkwood A. Pritchard PhD Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Animals
Cardiovascular Diseases
Databases, Genetic
Female
Genetic Variation
Genome
Hematologic Diseases
Kidney Diseases
Lung Diseases
Male
Phenotype
Rats
Rats, Inbred BN
Sex Factors
Species Specificity