Characterization of genes that are differentially expressed between C57BL6 and BALB/c background Dab1 mutant mice and map to the Tau phosphorylation QTL on chromosome 1.

The QTL at D1Mit365 segregates with Tau hyperphosphorylation in dab1−/− mutant mice. We identified 7 differentially expressed genes that map between markers that define the outer limits of the QTL (D1Mit215-D1Mit90). One of these, Stk25, was considered a good candidate since it encoded a serine/threonine kinase. Gene expression differences for dab1−/− mutant animals are shown for C57BL/6 versus BALB/c backgrounds (negative value indicates higher expression in BALB/c).