POSSIBLE SINGLE DOSAGE EFFECTS OF THE NUDE GENE - SUPPRESSION OF SPONTANEOUS DEVELOPMENT OF THYMOMA AND NEPHROPATHY IN BUF/MNA-RNU/+ RATS

  • 1 January 1987
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 78  (1) , 40-44
Abstract
Single dosage effects of the rat nude gene (rnu) on spontaneous development of epithelial thymoma, muscle atrophy and nephrotic syndrome were studied by comparing littermates of rnu/+and +/+ rats on a high thymoma strain, BUF/Mna, background. Heterozygous rnu/+ rats had a significantly smaller thymus than the +/+ littermates at 6 weeks of age. The incidence of thymoma at 12 months of age was extremely low in the female rnu/+ rats (3%) as compared with that of the +/+ rats (94%). Development of the nephrotic syndrome but not of the muscle atrophy was also suppressed in the heterozygotes. The results suggest that a recessive mutant gene, rnu, in a single dosage, interfered with critical steps of the disease processes of the thymoma and nephrotic syndrome in BUF/Mna-background rats.