The
need for routine genetic monitoring of rat and mouse strains used
today in biomedical research is well established. Continual change
in the gene pool of inbred strains is unavoidable due to residual
heterozygosity and spontaneous mutations that continually occur. In
addition, genetic contamination due to mismating is a continuing
threat in breeding colonies. The experimental use of non-authentic
or genetically contaminated rats and mice has been identified in
many instances as the cause of erroneous research results, so
verification of genetic background of your research model is of
paramount importance.
The
Harlan Laboratories GenScreen™ program provides genetic testing
services using both microsatellite marker and single nucleotide
polymorphism (SNP) panels for verifying the genetic
background in a wide variety of inbred
mouse and rat strains. Clients begin our program by consulting a
Harlan Laboratories GenScreen™ specialist to identify the
appropriate technology, panel size, and reference strains for your
project. We will then supply you with a tissue biopsy kit with
prepaid shipping for your ease of use. An e-mail will alert you
that your password protected genetic testing results are ready for
review on the Harlan Laboratories GenScreen™ Database website as
soon as your samples have been processed.
The
mouse and rat microsatellite marker panels used in the Harlan
Laboratories GenCheck™ program are derived from numerous resources.
Depending on your specific project goal, more than 20 markers are
available to study strain dependant polymorphic markers of
identity. All markers have been optimized, validated and referenced
against a large number of inbred mouse and rat
strains.
Projects that require a finer resolution of
mouse genetic monitoring will benefit from the informatics and
technology utilized in the Harlan Laboratories GenCheck™ SNP
Profiling program. We select a subset of markers from a panel of
over 500 mouse SNPs to evaluate all chromosomes in the mouse
genome. This approach conveys a level of specificity required for
genetic monitoring, strain verification and speed congenic
applications. The Fluidigm Biomark™ High Throughput SNP Genotyping
Platform is used exclusively for our SNP Profiling program.