Title | Progress and prospects in rat genetics: a community view. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2008 |
Authors | Aitman, TJ, Critser, JK, Cuppen, E, Dominiczak, A, Fernandez-Suarez, XM, Flint, J, Gauguier, D, Geurts, AM, Gould, M, Harris, PC, Holmdahl, R, Hübner, N, Izsvák, Z, Jacob, HJ, Kuramoto, T, Kwitek, AE, Marrone, A, Mashimo, T, Moreno, C, Mullins, J, Mullins, L, Olsson, T, Pravenec, M, Riley, L, Saar, K, Serikawa, T, Shull, JD, Szpirer, C, Twigger, SN, Voigt, B, Worley, KC |
Journal | Nat Genet |
Volume | 40 |
Issue | 5 |
Pagination | 516-22 |
Date Published | 2008 May |
ISSN | 1546-1718 |
Keywords | Animals, Animals, Genetically Modified, Chromosome Mapping, Disease Models, Animal, Gene Targeting, Genetic Diseases, Inborn, Genome, Genomics, Humans, Rats |
Abstract | The rat is an important system for modeling human disease. Four years ago, the rich 150-year history of rat research was transformed by the sequencing of the rat genome, ushering in an era of exceptional opportunity for identifying genes and pathways underlying disease phenotypes. Genome-wide association studies in human populations have recently provided a direct approach for finding robust genetic associations in common diseases, but identifying the precise genes and their mechanisms of action remains problematic. In the context of significant progress in rat genomic resources over the past decade, we outline achievements in rat gene discovery to date, show how these findings have been translated to human disease, and document an increasing pace of discovery of new disease genes, pathways and mechanisms. Finally, we present a set of principles that justify continuing and strengthening genetic studies in the rat model, and further development of genomic infrastructure for rat research. |
DOI | 10.1038/ng.147 |
Alternate Journal | Nat Genet |
PubMed ID | 18443588 |
Grant List | MC_U120061454 / MRC_ / Medical Research Council / United Kingdom R01 CA077876 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States R01 DK059597 / DK / NIDDK NIH HHS / United States |