Y and Mitochondrial Chromosomes in the Heterogeneous Stock Rat Population.

Heterogeneous stock rats were created in 1984 by intercrossing eight inbred strains. This genetically and phenotypically diverse population has been used for numerous genetic studies. We developed a method (leveraging existing data) to identify the founder strain origin of Y and mitochondrial Chromosomes in modern heterogeneous stock rats. We examined effects of these chromosomes' genotype on behavioral, physiological, and gene expression traits among 12,055 rats. We found no significant associations, except for expression of genes located on these chromosomes.