Burly1 is a mouse QTL for lean body mass that maps to a 0.8-Mb region of chromosome 2.

To fine map a mouse QTL for lean body mass (Burly1), we used information from intercross, backcross, consomic, and congenic mice derived from the C57BL/6ByJ (host) and 129P3/J (donor) strains. The results from these mapping populations were concordant and showed that Burly1 is located between 151.9 and 152.

Adiposity QTL Adip20 decomposes into at least four loci when dissected using congenic strains.

An average mouse in midlife weighs between 25 and 30 g, with about a gram of tissue in the largest adipose depot (gonadal), and the weight of this depot differs between inbred strains. Specifically, C57BL/6ByJ mice have heavier gonadal depots on average than do 129P3/J mice. To understand the genetic contributions to this trait, we mapped several quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for gonadal depot weight in an F2 intercross population.

Body Composition QTLs Identified in Intercross Populations Are Reproducible in Consomic Mouse Strains.

Genetic variation contributes to individual differences in obesity, but defining the exact relationships between naturally occurring genotypes and their effects on fatness remains elusive. As a step toward positional cloning of previously identified body composition quantitative trait loci (QTLs) from F2 crosses of mice from the C57BL/6ByJ and 129P3/J inbred strains, we sought to recapture them on a homogenous genetic background of consomic (chromosome substitution) strains. Male and female mice from reciprocal consomic strains originating from the C57BL/6ByJ and 129P3/J strains were bred and measured for body weight, length, and adiposity.

Genetic analysis of chemosensory traits in human twins.

We explored genetic influences on the perception of taste and smell stimuli. Adult twins rated the chemosensory aspects of water, sucrose, sodium chloride, citric acid, ethanol, quinine hydrochloride, phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), potassium chloride, calcium chloride, cinnamon, androstenone, Galaxolide™, cilantro, and basil. For most traits, individual differences were stable over time and some traits were heritable (h(2) from 0.