18th International Mouse Genome Conference
17-22 October 2004, Seattle, USA
Plenary Presentations * Oral
Presentations * Poster
Abstracts * Photos
Verne Chapman Memorial Lecture * Table
of Contents * Attendees * Awards
POSTER 178 - TAKE OUR MICE – PLEASE! ENU-DERIVED MUTANT STRAINS NOW AVAILABLE FROM THE JAX PGA
Svenson KL, Peters LL
The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, United States
The Center for New Mouse Models of Heart, Lung, Blood and Sleep Disorders was established in 2000 as a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Program for Genomic Applications. Our goal is to provide the scientific community with new mouse models in these disease areas. We are conducting high-throughput primary phenotyping of third-generation ENU-mutagenized pedigrees derived from background strain C57BL/6J. A battery of non-invasive phenotypic screens is performed on mature mice over the course of a 9-week protocol, and includes challenge with a high fat, high cholesterol diet. Testing of each animal includes the following: plasma coagulation factor profile (fibrinogen, antithrombin III, Factor VII); standard whole blood count; plasma total- and HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose; metabolic cage monitoring, including a novel method for assessment of sleep behavior; whole body plethysmography; dual energy x-ray absorptiometry for obesity; and evaluation of cardiac function by echocardiography and unanesthetized electrocardiography. To date, we have identified over 350 phenotypic deviants, of which more than 60 have proven heritable. Heritability testing and colony development of more than 100 additional lines is ongoing for all phenotypes. Breeding pairs of all proven heritable mutants are freely available to the scientific public from our web site http://pga.jax.org. We currently have 23 mutant lines available. These are: 14 hypertensive; 3 obese; 4 blood disorders; 2 lipidopathies, one of which has severe atherosclerosis. We urge the scientific public to consider taking these established mutants into their laboratories for further characterization and use as they study these important human diseases.