A new beige mutant rat ACI/N-Lystbg-Kyo

A new beige-like coat color mutant was identified in the ACI/N rat colony. Other features characteristic of beige mutants, such as giant granule cells in various tissues, and prolonged bleeding time were also observed. The genetic complementation test, mating beige-like mutant with the authentic beige mutant rat, DA/Ham-Lystbg, revealed that the mutant gene is allelic to Lystbg. The new beige mutant allele was denoted Lystbg-Kyo. Molecular genetic analysis revealed deletion of exons 28, 29, and 30 of the Lyst gene owing to recombination between L1 elements in the mutant rats. Although the deletion was similar to that identified in DA/Ham-Lystbg rats, the putative deletion break points in L1 elements were different in the two strains. Further characterization of the ACI/N-Lystbg-Kyo rats should make it useful as an animal model for human Chediak-Higashi syndrome.