Recombinant inbred lines (RILs) can serve as powerful tools for genetic mapping. Recently, members of the Complex Trait Consortium proposed the development of a large panel of eight-way RILs in the mouse, derived from eight genetically diverse parental strains. Such a panel would be a valuable community resource. The use of such eight-way RILs will require a detailed understanding of the relati...

While the machinery of quantitative genetics can blissfully function in complete ignorance of any of the underlying genetic details, we are certainly interested (at least one some level) on the genetic basis of trait variation. At the most practical level, if a gene of major effect is segregating in our population of interest, we would certainly like to not only to be aware of this, but also to...

The mouse is the most extensively used mammalian model for biomedical and aging research, and an extensive catalogue of laboratory resources is available to support research using mice: classical inbred lines, genetically modifi ed mice (knockouts, transgenics, and humanized mice), selectively bred lines, consomics, congenics, recombinant inbred panels, outbred and heterogeneous stocks, and an ...

Inbreeding adversely affects life history traits as well as various other fitness-related traits, but its effect on cognitive traits remains largely unexplored, despite their importance to fitness of many animals under natural conditions. We studied the effects of inbreeding on aversive learning (avoidance of an odour previously associated with mechanical shock) in multiple inbred lines of Dros...