Genetic analysis of Nakano Cataract and its modifier genes in mice

The Nakano Cataract (NCT) is an autosomal, recessive, single gene mutation in mice leading to an osmotic cataract induced by an endogenous inhibitor of Na, K-ATPase. In this report, we further refined the map position of the mutant locus to a <0.7c M segment between D16Mit5 and D16Mit185 in 1,000 BALB/c-nct/nct x(BALB/c- nct/nctxMSM)F1 backcrossed mice with PCR-based microsatellite analysis. The NCT in the original Nakano mice developed at 3 weeks of age, rapidly formed a pin-head type dense opacity, whereas the cataract in the congenic BALB/c- nct/nct mice developed at 5-6 weeks of age or later, slowly formed a diffuse opacity. A major histological difference was the presence or absence of heavy condensation of the lens nucleus. These two types of cataract were segregated in the backcrossed mice. Linkage analysis of the two subtypes among the backcrossed mice revealed two recessive BALB/c-derived modifier genes on chromosome 3 and 10.