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. 1995 Oct;141(2):667–674. doi: 10.1093/genetics/141.2.667

Nondisjunction Rates and Abnormal Embryonic Development in a Mouse Cross between Heterozygotes Carrying a (7, 18) Robertsonian Translocation Chromosome

R J Oakey 1, P G Matteson 1, S Litwin 1, S M Tilghman 1, R L Nussbaum 1
PMCID: PMC1206764  PMID: 8647401

Abstract

Mice bearing Robertsonian translocation chromosomes frequently produce aneuploid gametes. They are therefore excellent tools for studying nondisjunction in mammals. Genotypic analysis of embryos from a mouse cross between two different strains of mice carrying a (7, 18) Robertsonian chromosome enabled us to measure the rate of nondisjunction for chromosomes 7 and 18. Embryos (429) were harvested from 76 litters of mice and the parental origin of each chromosome 7 and 18 determined. Genotyping these embryos has allowed us to conclude the following: (1) there were 96 embryos in which at least one nondisjunction event had taken place; (2) the rate of maternal nondisjunction was greater than paternal nondisjunction for the chromosomes sampled in these mice; (3) a bias against chromosome 7 and 18 nullisomic gametes was observed, reflected in a smaller than expected number of uniparental disomic embryos; (4) nondisjunction events did not seem to occur at random throughout the 76 mouse litters, but were clustered into fewer than would be expected by chance; and (5) a deficiency of paternal chromosome 18 uniparental disomic embryos was observed along with a higher than normal rate of developmental retardation at 8.5 days post coitum, raising the possibility that this chromosome has at least one imprinted gene.

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Selected References

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