National BioResource Project-Rat and related activities.
In order to establish a system to facilitate the systematic collection, preservation, and provision of laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus) and their derivates, the National BioResource Project-Rat (NBRP-Rat) was launched in July 2002. By the end of 2008, more than 500 rat strains had been collected and preserved as live animals, embryos, or sperm. These rat resources are supplied to biomedical scientists in Japan as well as in other countries. This review article introduces NBRP-Rat and highlights the phenome project, recombinant inbred strains, BAC clone libraries, and the ENU-mutant archive, named the Kyoto University Rat Mutant Archive (KURMA). The future direction of rat resources are also discussed.
Serikawa
Tadao
T
Institute of Laboratory Animals, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University.
Mashimo
Tomoji
T
Takizawa
Akiko
A
Okajima
Ryoko
R
Maedomari
Naoki
N
Kumafuji
Kenta
K
Tagami
Fumi
F
Neoda
Yuki
Y
Otsuki
Mito
M
Nakanishi
Satoshi
S
Yamasaki
Ken-ichi
K
Voigt
Birger
B
Kuramoto
Takashi
T
D000818:Animals; D000830:Animals, Laboratory; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006078:Government Programs; D007253:Information Centers; D007391:International Cooperation; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains / Q000235:genetics*; D012737:Sex Factors