Related Experiment Videos
Curly vibrissae, a new mutation in the Wistar-derived rat
Sakiko Fujii1, Hiroaki Aoyama, Ken L Takahashi
1Toxicology Division, Safety Research Institute for Chemical Compounds Co., Ltd., Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
Congenital Anomalies
|April 15, 2003
Summary
A new rat mutation, curly vibrissae (cv), causes sparse, curled facial hair and some hair loss. This autosomal recessive trait affects vibrissae and outer hair growth but not reproduction or internal development.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Developmental Biology
- Animal Models
Background:
- The PD (Preaxial Duplication) rat strain is a model for studying developmental abnormalities.
- Vibrissae and hair development are crucial for sensory perception and physical protection in mammals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize a newly identified mutation affecting vibrissae and hair growth in rats.
- To determine the inheritance pattern and genetic linkage of the novel mutation.
Main Methods:
- Phenotypic observation of mutant rats.
- Genetic analysis to determine inheritance patterns and gene linkage.
Main Results:
- A novel autosomal recessive mutation, designated "curly vibrissae" (cv), was identified.
- cv/cv homozygous rats exhibit short, curly vibrissae and sparse hair, with some hair loss in adults.
- The cv gene is genetically independent of the pd gene.
Conclusions:
- The curly vibrissae (cv) mutation provides a new model for studying vibrissae and hair development.
- This mutation does not appear to cause internal malformations or affect reproductive ability.