Models using genetically altered animals

Studies in Strains Obtained through Selective Breeding 

Strains Derived from Direct Manipulations of the Genetic Background 

Box 43 Definitions used in die Field of Genetics Genetics The field of science dealing with the molecular basis and underlying mechanisms of inherited characteristics and their transition to subsequent generations 

Gene A distinct sequence on the DNA strain that encodes for a peptide 

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid is the repository of hereditary characteristics. The most commonly described form of DNA is the double-stranded form, arranged as a helix. Chromosomes are composed of double-stranded DNA. So called DNA fingerprinting offers a basis for evaluating the probability that blood, hair, semen or tissue samples originate from a given person, and thus offers a forensic tool as well as a means to determine lineages of humans and animals 

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Both rats and mice are widely used small animal model systems in the life sciences in general and in developmental biology in particular. Moreover, their relatively small size makes them amenable to study with the narrow bore high field instrumentation typically used in MRM. The ability to alter the genetics of the mouse to produce models of human disease is a boon to the study of these phenomena, but a costly undertaking. MRM is well suited to characterizing anatomical differences between... 

A wide variety of species have been treated with both case-associated and reconstituted oils, with only a few reports that some of the classical symptoms have been observed in mice (eosinophilia and elevated IgE) and rats (lung oedema, respiratory difficulties, splenomegaly). Possible explanations for the generally negative results in animal models are that toxic oil syndrome may be a uniquely human disease, animals may have a lower sensitivity to toxic oils, the dose used may not have been adequate, and multiple agents, genetic factors, and biochemical alterations may be involved in disease development. 

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