Rat inbred PD/cub strain as a model of dyslipidemia and insulin resistance

Genome scan and metabolic profile of the PD/Cub rat inbred strain in comparison with SHR and BN strains is presented. The PD/Cub strain has been bred by brother sister mating for more than 60 generations since 1969. Its highly inbred status has been confirmed by PCR genotyping with more than 170 microsatellite markers. No case of residual heterozygosity has been recorded. Accordingly, the values obtained by the analysis of metabolic phenotypes are homogeneous with low variance. The PD/Cub strain has significantly higher triglyceride levels and epididymal fat weight as compared to both SHR and BN strains. The PD strain also displays the lowest incorporation of 14C-U glucose into the epididymal adipose tissue. The data on glucose metabolism clearly indicate that the PD/Cub strain is insulin resistant. Genetic homogeneity and reproducibility of experimental results qualify the PD/Cub rats as an animal model for analysis of the syndrome X.