The laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus) is an indispensable tool in experimental medicine and drug development, having made inestimable contributions to human health. We report here the genome sequence of the Brown Norway (BN) rat strain. The sequence represents a high-quality ‘draft’ covering over 90% of the genome. The BN rat sequence is the third complete mammalian genome to be deciphered, an...

Emerging pathogens that originate from invasive species have caused numerous significant epidemics. Some bacteria of genus Bartonella are rodent-borne pathogens that can cause disease in humans and animals alike. We analyzed gltA sequences of 191 strains of rat-associated bartonellae from 29 rodent species from 17 countries to test the hypotheses that this bacterial complex evolved and diversif...

The rat dominant hairless gene (Ht) of the WBN/Ila-Ht rat causes atrichosis in Ht/Ht and hypotrichosis in Ht/+. Furthermore the Ht/Ht shows signs of abnormal keratinization and almost all of the Ht/Ht die in an immature stage before weaning in the conventional environment. Ht/+ was affected by dermatitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus, suggesting that the gene Ht might involve defense mechanis...

Feldman, H. W., "A Recessive Curly-Hair Character of the Norway Rat," J. Hered., 26, 252-254 (1935). Friedberger, E., and Taslokowa, T., "Blutgruppen bei der -Zahmen and Wilden Ratte," Ztschr. Immunitatsforch. exper. Therap., 59, 271-276 (1928). Lambert, W. V., "On the Absence of Isoagglutinins in the Rat," Amer. Nat., 61, 382-384 (1927). Landsteiner, K., and Levine, P., "On the Inheritance of ...

The ability of Norway rats to use binaural time- and intensity-difference cues to localize sound was investigated by determining their ability to localize pure tones from 500 Hz to 32 kHz. In addition, their ability to use the binaural time cues present in the envelope of a signal was determined by presenting them with a 1-kHz tone that was amplitude modulated at either 250 or 500 Hz. Although ...

Poison was used at remote anchorages of southern Stewart Island in spring and summer of 1984/85 to reduce the likelihood of ship rats (Rattus rattus), Norway rats (R. norvegicus) and kiore (R. exulans) boarding fishing boats heading for the Snares Islands. Poison baits were removed at successively slower rates, probably because poisoning had reduced rat numbers. The effectiveness of poisoning w...

Elevated plasma homocysteine (Hcys) has been reported to participate in the development of arterial and glomerular sclerosis in Dahl salt-sensitive hypertensive (SS) rats. The mechanism resulting in hyperhomocysteinemia in these animals remains unknown. Disposal of Hcys in the kidneys plays an important role in regulating the plasma Hcys level. We, therefore, examined the activities and express...

PURPOSE To evaluate the angiogenic inhibitory effects of an alpha(v)beta(3)/alpha(v)beta(5) integrin antagonist, EMD478761, released from a polymeric implant in a chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay and laser-induced experimental choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in rats. METHODS Polyvinyl alcohol-based reservoir implants releasing EMD478761 were designed for placement onto a CAM or i...

Bronchiolitis obliterans, the pathological hallmark of chronic pulmonary rejection, severely impacts long-term survival following lung transplantation. However, experimental reproduction of this pathophysiological phenomenon has not been achieved with contemporary in vivo models. Here, a model of chronic rejection is described, with sensitised recipients receiving unilateral orthotopic rat lung...