| rats, wistar | A strain of albino rat developed at the wistar institute that has spread widely at other institutions. This has markedly diluted the original strain. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| rats, zucker | Two populations of zucker rats have been cited in research--the "fatty" or obese and the lean. The "fatty" rat (rattus norvegicus) appeared as a spontaneous mutant. The obese condition appears to be due to a single recessive gene. (12 Dec 1998) |
| mole rats | Any of several burrowing rodents of the families muridae and bathyergidae, found in eastern europe, africa, and asia. They have short limbs, small eyes with permanently closed lids, and no tail. Three genera spalax (muridae), heterocephalus (bathyergidae) and cryptomys (bathyergidae) are used frequently as experimental animals in biomedical research. (12 Dec 1998) |
| mice, inbred cftr | A strain of mice widely studied as a model for cystic fibrosis. These mice are generated from embryonic stem cells in which the cftr (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) gene is inactivated by gene targeting. As a result, all mice have one copy of this altered gene in all their tissues. Mice homozygous for the disrupted gene exhibit many features common to young cystic fibrosis patients, including failure to thrive, meconium ileus, and alteration of mucous and serous glands. (12 Dec 1998) |
| mice, inbred hrs | Homozygous, permanently near-hairless mice which lose their hair at about 10 days of age. (12 Dec 1998) |
| mice, inbred mdx | A strain of mice arising from a spontaneous mutation (mdx) in inbred c57bl mice. This mutation is x chromosome-linked and produces viable homozygous animals that lack the muscle protein dystrophin, have high serum levels of muscle enzymes, and possess histological lesions similar to human muscular dystrophy. The histological features, linkage, and map position of mdx make these mice a worthy animal model of duchenne muscular dystrophy. (12 Dec 1998) |
| mice, inbred mrl lpr | A mouse substrain that is genetically predisposed to the development of systemic lupus erythematosus-like syndrome, which has been found to be clinically similar to the human disease. It has been determined that this mouse strain carries a mutation in the fas gene. Also, the mrl/lpr is a useful model to study behavioural and cognitive deficits found in autoimmune diseases and the efficacy of immunosuppressive agents. (12 Dec 1998) |
| mice, inbred nod | A strain of non-obese diabetic mice developed in japan that has been widely studied as a model for T-cell-dependent autoimmune insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in which insulitis is a major histopathologic feature, and in which genetic susceptibility is strongly MHC-linked. (12 Dec 1998) |
| mice, inbred sencar | Mice selectively bred for hypersusceptibility to two-stage chemical skin carcinogenesis. They are also hypersusceptible to uv radiation tumourigenesis with single high-dose, but not chronic low-dose, exposures. Sencar (sensitive to carcinogenesis) mice are used in research as an animal model for tumour production. (12 Dec 1998) |
| inbred | Denoting populations (groups, genetic lines, etc.) descended over several generations almost exclusively from a small set of ancestors, and hence having a high rate of consanguinity, often occult. (05 Mar 2000) |
| inbred strain | Any strain of animal or plant obtained by a breeding strategy that tends to lead to homozygosity. Such breeding strategies include brother sister mating and back crossing of offspring with parents. See: congenic. (18 Nov 1997) |