Ultrafine Mapping of SNPs From Mouse Strains C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, and C57BLKS/J for Loci Contributing to Diabetes and Atherosclerosis Susceptibility

  1. Richard C. Davis1,
  2. Eric E. Schadt2,
  3. Alessandra C.L. Cervino2,
  4. Miklós Péterfy13 and
  5. Aldons J. Lusis14
  1. 1Departments of Medicine and Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California
  2. 2Rosetta Inpharmatics, Merck and Company, Seattle, Washington
  3. 3Veterans Administration, Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California
  4. 4Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, California
  1. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Richard C. Davis, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, 47-123 CHS, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1679. E-mail: davisr{at}ucla.edu

Abstract

The inbred mouse strain C57BLKS/J (BKS) carrying a mutation of the leptin receptor lepr−/− (BKS-db) is a classic mouse model of type 2 diabetes. While BKS was originally presumed to be a substrain of C57BL/6J (B6), it has become apparent that its genome contains introgressed regions from a DBA/2 (DBA)-like strain and perhaps other unidentified sources. It has been hypothesized that the strikingly enhanced diabetes susceptibility of BKS-db compared with B6-db is conferred by this introgressed DNA. Using high-density single nucleotide polymorphisms, we have mapped the DBA and other contaminating DNA regions present in BKS. Thus, ∼70% of its genome appears to derive from B6, with ∼20% from DBA and another 9% from an unidentified donor. Comparison with 56 diverse inbred strains suggests that this donor may be a less common inbred strain or an outbred or wild strain. Using expression data from a B6 × DBA cross, we identified differentially regulated genes between these two strains. Those cis-regulated genes located on DBA-like blocks in BKS constitute primary candidates for genes contributing to diabetes susceptibility in the BKS-db strain. To further prioritize these candidates, we identified those cis-acting expression quantitative trait loci whose expression significantly correlates with diabetes-related phenotypes.

Footnotes

  • Additional information for this article can be found in an online appendix at http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org.

    • Accepted January 18, 2005.
    • Received November 1, 2004.
« Previous | Next Article »Table of Contents