A new allele of the testosterone-responsive gene,Hdc-a, in the histidine decarboxylase gene complex of the mouse

Abstract

SummaryIn C57BL/10 and the majority of other strains of mice, females have about 20-fold higher kidney histidine decarboxylase levels than males; in DBA/2 mice, however, HDC in females is only 3- to 4-fold higher than males. The low ratio HDC phenotype of DBA/2 animals is due to decreased sensitivity of the HDC gene complex to repression by testosterone in males. From conventional crosses and by the use of the BXD recombinant inbred lines we conclude that the C57BL/ 10: DBA/2 difference, in testosterone sensitivity of HDC, is due to an allelic difference in the regulatory geneHdc-aof the HDC gene complex, [Hdc], on chromosome 2; DBA/2 contains a third allele of this gene,Hdc-ad.