WF

Genotype:

Pigmentation genes: aa BB cc hh RR

Mhc: RT1^u(RT1.A^uB/D^uC^u)

Erythrocyte antigens: RT2 ^b RT3 ^b RT8 ^b

Lymphocyte antigens: RT6 ^b RT7 ^b

Inbr. Gen.: At Ztm (1998), F 49.

Origin: J. Furth, 1945, from a commercial Wistar stock in an attempt to develop a high leukemia rat strain. To N in 1975 from Cr at F18 (5). To Han from Max in 1985 at F?+21, to Ztm 1994.

Lifespan: Average lifespan 21 months in females and 23 months in males (10).

Reproduction: Good reproductive performance. Average litter size at weaning 8,02 and 1.29 young weaned/female/week.

Tumours (Spontaneous): Tumours of pituitary largest group of sponta-neous neoplasms (6). Incidence of spontaneous pituitary tumours 38% in rats older than 10 months of age, increasing to a maximum of 69% at 28-32 months of age. Higher incidence in females (71%) than in males (35%) (14). Other tumours in females mammary 21%, adrenal 3%, malignant lymphoma 7%, lipomas 3% (6). Leukemia, characterized by an unusual type of mononuclear cell containing reddish granules, found in 16-22% of animals (10, 11). Administration of 3-methylcholanthrene increased incidence in young rats; total body x-irradiation decreased incidence (10). In one subline in Osaka, Japan, colon carcinoma in 38% of males and 28% of females (9).

Tumours (Induced): 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride induces colon carcinoma (3).

Other Characteristics: Resistant to adrenal regeneration hypertension (12). Strain carries a distinctive heteropyknotic Y chromosome, which can be used as a cellular marker (16). Susceptible to audiogenicseizures of grand mal type epilepsy. Esterase alleles described by Womack (15). Major histocompatibility complex (RT1) has been described (1, 2, 7, 8). Low antibody response to streptococcal group A carbohydrate; not linked to RT1 (13). Genetic marker profile described by Bender et al. (1994) (4).

References:

1 Armerding, D., D. H. Katz, and B. Benacerraf. 1974. Immune response genes in inbred rats. I. Analysis of responder status to synthetic polypeptides and low doses of bovine serum albumin. Immunogenetics 1: 329–339.

2 Armerding, D., D. H. Katz, and B. Benacerraf. 1974. Immune response genes in inbred rats. II. Segregation studies of the GT and GA genes and their linkage to the major histocompatibility complex. Immunogenetics 1: 340–351.

3 Bansal, B. R., R. Mark, J. Mobini, J. E. Rhoads, Jr., and S. C. Bansal. 1979. Demonstration of effective antitumor immunity in an autochthonous host bearing primary colon tumors induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 63: 127–132.

4 Bender, K., P. Balogh, M.F. Bertrand, M. den Bieman, O. van Deimling, S. Eghtessadi, G.A. Gutman, H. J. Hedrich, S.V. Kluge, K. Matsumoto, D.H. Moralejo, M. Nagel, A. Portal, C.-M. Prokop, R.T. Seibert and L.F.M. van Zutphen. 1994. Genetic characterization of inbred strains of the rat (Rattus norvegicus). I. Exp. Anim. Sci. 36: 151-166.

5 Hansen, C. T., S. Potkay, W. T. Watson, and R. A. Whitney, Jr. 1982. NIH Rodents: 1980 Catalogue. NIH Publ. No. 83–606, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C.

6 Kim, U., K. H. Clifton, and J. Furth. 1960. A highly inbred strain of Wistar rats yielding spontaneous mammo-somatotropic pituitary and other tumors. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 24: 1031–1055.

7 Kunz, H. W., T. J. Gill III, and B. Borland. 1974. The genetic linkage of the immune response of poly(Glu52Lys33Tyr15) to the major histocompatibility locus in inbred rats. J. Immunogenet. 1: 277–287.

8 Luderer, A. A., P. H. Maurer, and R. T. Woodland. 1976. Genetic control of the immune response in rats to the known sequential polypeptide (Tyr-Glu-Ala- Gly)n. I. Antibody responses. J. Immunol. 117: 1079–1084.

9 Miyamoto, M. and S. Takizawa. 1975. Brief communication: Colon carcinoma of highly inbred rats. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 55: 1471–1472.

10 Moloney, W. C., A. E. Boschetti, and V. P. King. 1969. Observations on leukemia in Wistar Furth rats. Cancer Res. 29: 938–946.

11 Moloney, W. C., A. E. Boschetti, and V. P. King. 1970. Spontaneous leukemia in Fischer rats. Cancer Res. 30: 41–43.

12 Molteni, A., P. A. Nickerson, S. Gallant, and A. C. Brownie. 1975. Resistance of W/Fu rats to adrenal regeneration hypertension. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 150: 80–84.

13 Stankus, R. P. and G. A. Leslie. 1976. Rat interstrain antibody response and crossidiotypic specificity. Immunogenetics 3: 65–73.

14 Trouillas, J., C. Girod, B. Claustrat, M. Cure, and M. P. Dubois. 1982. Spontaneous pituitary tumors in the Wistar/Furth/Ico rat strain: An animal model of human prolactin adenoma. Am. J. Pathol. 109: 57–70.

15 Womack, J. E. 1973. Biochemical genetics of rat esterases: Polymorphism, tissue expression, and linkage at four loci. Biochem. Genet. 9: 13–24.

16 Zieverink, W. D., and W. C. Moloney. 1965. Use of the Y chromosome in the Wistar/Furth rat as a cellular marker. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 119: 370–373.