[Microsatellite DNA monitoring in inbred cultivation of outbred rats]

Microsatellite DNA was used to monitor the gene inheritance of successive generations of rats. It is useful in selective breeding to quickly bring genes to homozygosity and to shorten the cultivation periods of new inbreeding of rats. Thirty microsatellite DNA loci were PCR amplified to analyze the DNA polymorphism in generational crosses between the outbred Wistar and SD rats. Rats in F generations with a moderate to high coefficient of similarity with the female F0 SD rats were crossed. All loci in the F2 generation were heterozygous and polymorphic. By F9, 27 loci have become homozygotic, with a homozygosity rate of 90%. The coefficient of similarity tended to increase at a rate of 6%-20% with each successive generation. Skin grafting confirmed no rejection among the F9 generation of rats. Therefore we have established a novel method for rapid cultivation of inbred rats.