Review

Rat traps: filling the toolbox for manipulating the rat genome

Ruben van Boxtel1 and Edwin Cuppen1,2*

Author Affiliations

1 Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Cancer Genomics Center, Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences and University Medical Center Utrecht, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands

2 Department of Medical Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, Utrecht, The Netherlands

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Genome Biology 2010, 11:217 doi:10.1186/gb-2010-11-9-217

Published: 29 September 2010

Abstract

The laboratory rat is rapidly gaining momentum as a mammalian genetic model organism. Although traditional forward genetic approaches are well established, recent technological developments have enabled efficient gene targeting and mutant generation. Here we outline the current status, possibilities and application of these techniques in the rat.