title: Atherosclerosis susceptibility loci identified from a strain intercross of apolipoprotein E-deficient mice via a high-density genome scan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Apolipoprotein (apo) E-deficient mice are hypercholesterolemic and develop atherosclerosis on low-fat chow diets; however, the genetic background strain has a large effect on atherosclerosis susceptibility. This study aimed to determine the genetic regions associated with strain effects on lesion area.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We performed a strain intercross between atherosclerosis sensitive DBA/2 and atherosclerosis resistant AKR apoE-deficient mice. Aortic root lesion area, total cholesterol, body weights, and complete blood counts were ascertained for 114 male and 95 female F2 progeny. A high-density genome scan was performed using a mouse single nucleotide polymorphism chip yielding 1967 informative polymorphic markers. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) statistical analyses were performed. Novel loci associated with lesion or log lesion area were identified for the female and male F2 cohorts. The atherosclerosis QTLs in female mice reside on chromosomes 15, 5, 3, and 13, and in male mice on chromosomes 17, 18, and 2. QTL were also identified for body weight, total cholesterol, and blood count parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Loci were identified for atherosclerosis susceptibility in a strain intercross study. The identity of the responsible genes at these loci remains to be determined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. smithj4@ccf.org
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Jeffrey M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bhasin
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baglione
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Settle
authors.forename: Yaomin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barnard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D023281:Genomics; D005838:Genotype; D008126:Lod Score; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008806:Mice, Inbred AKR; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D005819:Genetic Markers