Possible single dosage effects of the nude gene: suppression of spontaneous development of thymoma and nephropathy in BUF/Mna-rnu/+ rats.
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.
D000818:Animals; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D006579:Heterozygote; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000235:genetics; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D011922:Rats, Mutant Strains / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics*; D011923:Rats, Nude / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics*; D013489:Suppression, Genetic; D013945:Thymoma / Q000235:genetics*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000033:anatomy & histology