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The NIH nude rat was developed in 1979-1980 at the NIH through a series of matings involving the following inbred rat strains: BN/SsN, MR/N, BUF/N, WN/N, ACI/N, WKY/N, M520/N, and F344/N. Received from the National Institute of Health by NCI in 1983. The NIH Nude rat strain exhibits deficient T cell activity, with lymph nodes and Peyer's patches showing lymphocyte depletion in T-lymphocyte- dependent regions. In the homozygous nude rat, vibrissae are present, but bent with some short hairs on the head and occasionally on the rest of the body. At later ages, some grow hair, but they become hairless again within a few weeks. Coat color can be white or black. The skin of the homozygous rat is generally pigmented, but occasionally an albino rat is seen. |