Ratpost: a searchable database of protein-inactivating sequence variations in 40 sequenced rat-inbred strains

Rat-inbred strains are essential as scientific tools. We have analyzed the publicly available genome sequences of 40 rat-inbred strains and provide an overview of sequence variations leading to amino acid changes in protein-coding genes, premature STOP codons or loss of STOP codons, and short in-frame insertions and deletions of all protein-coding genes across all these inbred lines. We provide an overview of the predicted impact on protein function of all these affected proteins in the database, by comparing their sequence with the sequences of the rat reference strain BN/SsNHsdMcwi. We also investigate the flaws of the protein-coding sequences of this reference strain itself, by comparing them with a consensus genome. These data can be retrieved via a searchable website (Ratpost.be) and allow a global, better interpretation of genetic background effects and a source of naturally defective alleles in these 40 sequenced classical and high-priority rat-inbred strains.