Genomic sequencing of two rat strains with differing responses to TCDD-induced toxicity

Exposure to the environmental contaminant TCDD produces a host of toxic outcomes that differ dramatically between, and even within species. In rats for example, the Long-Evans (L-E) rat is highly susceptible to TCDD-induced lethality whereas the Han/Wistar (H/W) rat is not. This difference is predominantly due to a point mutation within the H/W rat Ahr gene that produces a cryptic splice site and altered transactivation domain. However, this alone is insufficient to explain the extreme differences in TCDD-induced toxicities between the two strains. Therefore, animals from each strain were analysed for genomic differences using whole-genome sequencing on the AB SOLiD platform.