IDENTIFICATION OF INBRED RAT STRAINS BY USING DNA-FINGERPRINTING METHOD

DNA fingerprinting method was applied to identify inbred strains of la boratory rats. By Southern blot hybridization with core sequence of mi nisatellite DNA as a probe, typical hypervariable patterns of DNA fing erprint were obtained in inbred rat strains. The patterns were complet ely different among 15 rat strains examined, and the patterns of the D NA fingerprint of samples obtained from the same strain were completel y identical. The patterns of the DNA fingerprint of two substrains der ived from the same strain were identical, indicating relative stabilit y of the patterns over a large number of generations. Therefore, we co ncluded that the DNA fingerprinting method was useful for the identifi cation of inbred strains in genetic monitoring of laboratory rats.