# Entry Level Genetics Student



## AmyLynn (Jan 25, 2013)

Hello Breeders,

I'm Amy, and I am currently a student of BioTechnology and will be focusing on Genetics. My primary interests are mutations/adaptations and how either of those may be inhertited. I'd first like to state that I am an animal lover and have owned pet rats in the past whom I loved. I have recently decided to try my hand at mouse breeding because I feel that some hands on experience in the science of heredity would be extremely beneficial to me as a student and serve as a wonderful learning experience.

I am absolutely NOT harmfully experimenting on my mice in any way just so that's clear. I will be simply looking for preferable expressions of fur types and then breeding them. I have 4 mice now, 1 male and 3 female and they have a lovely little condo. I have made adjustments to their enclosures so that when the females give birth, they will be seperate until the babies have grown enough for me to adequately observe and document their appearances. I know housing mothers and offspring together is normally fine, but I need to be able to tell exactly which offspring came from which mother. I also know that there are hundreds of factors that exist that may or may no allow for certain gene expressions and this is going to be an attempt at a VERY simplified test cross. I have looked for certain recessive traits to be present in the male so that I know at least a few of the alleles that he carries and expresses. When the mothers have their offspring, I should be able to determine all the alleles for the same genes in the mothers.

SO! The lovely mice I currently have are as follows, (appearance followed by what I THINK are the genes) and I will be posting pictures when I continue discussions in other threads.
Male - He is light grey with white markings and black eyes, aa(nonagouti)-B*(black)-C*(nonalbino)-dd(diluted color)-ss(spotting)
Female #1 - She is black with white markings and black eyes: aa(nonagouti), B*(black), C*(nonalbino), D*(nondiluted color), ss(spotting) 
Female #2 - She is albino with red eyes: only known gene is cc(albino)
Female #3 - She is wild type brown-brindle with white spotting and black eyes: A*(agouti), bb(brown), C*(nonalbino), D*(nondiluted color), ss(spotting)
* Indicates that the second allele is unknown because the expression is dominantly ruled but can be Aa or AA, Bb or BB, etc. (The test cross should help determine heterozygous vs homozygous alleles)

I am not quite sure if the "Brown Allele" is necessary due to an expression of Agouti dominance but we shall see!

So if anyone has any tips, advice, questions, or corrections on something if I am absolutely wrong about it (like I said, entry level student here) then feel free to let me know! 
I look forward to being an active member of this forum!


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## WoodWitch (Oct 18, 2009)

Welcome


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## andypandy29us (Aug 10, 2012)

hello and welcome  good luck with your breeding


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## bonsai (Oct 14, 2012)

Hello Amy.
Welcome.


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## DaisyTailsMousery (Nov 8, 2012)

Hello and welcome! 
this is the bast site I've found as far as individual genes in mice
http://www.hiiret.fi/eng/breeding/genetics/index.html


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## pro-petz (Nov 14, 2012)

Hello and welcome to the forum


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## ThatCertainGlow (Jun 23, 2012)

Welcome to the forum, Amy.  I am interesting in seeing how you sectioned off a mice condo (wire?). So that each mother can safely, and separately, raise their babies with no escapes out the wire, and such. That sounds inventive.


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## AmyLynn (Jan 25, 2013)

Thanks for all of the welcomes!
That link is actually really awesome, thanks rematnogard!
To CertainGlow, its not wire, I actually did try to concoct a frankenstein like housing facility using very small gueage chicken wire and some rabbit cage walls, but I've never had baby mice before so I wasn't absolutely sure of it as far as safety and confinement go, I'm more used to gigantic rats. So I devised a shelfing unit type of enclosure for simple housing thats made of transparent tubs so that each has her seperate room. I also have a large terrarium that I transfer them into anytime I'm home so that they can play and socialize in a more spacious fun environment and then go back to their little individual homes when they're done. 
I've also found that rounded glass tea light holders make excellent feeding dishes. They're only like $1 at walmart and they're chew proof and too heavy to be knocked over. If none of my rats could chew through glass I'm pretty sure tiny mice can't either.
Again, I'll be posting pictures soon! Having PC troubles at the moment.
Thanks everyone!


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## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

Although your PEW is probably albino as you say, there are other genes that can create a white mouse with pink eyes. Just thought that might come in handy


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## besty74 (May 26, 2012)

hello and welcome


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## Veritai (Jan 26, 2013)

Hi there fellow new person!

I'm hoping to study genetics (via biology) in a few years too (have to make up for last year of high school and being in the world for a decade first, and then the first year of bio is not very focused on genetics), but had to say it's so cool to see others here have the same interest. May I ask you how genetics in relation to biotech differs to genetics in relation to biology or medicine ... argh it might be a stupid question but oh well *quickly hits enter before shyness strikes*


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## Oca2 (Jan 1, 2009)

Sorry for dragging up an old thread. I was searching the forum for something else and this popped up and I thought I'd add my 2 cents.

I actually went the other way: bred mice first, then went to Uni to study biotechnology. To answer Veritai's question (although I'm not the op), I guess it depend on the University in question. In my Uni in the biotechnology and genetics majors are pretty identical on the bachelor level. The only differences are basically the obligatory minors in the biotech program (biochemistry & a combined math, physics and chemistry) and optional minors in biology (you can choose whatever you want, even identical minors with biotech). I think couple of years ago my Uni combined all the molecular biology programs (biotechnology, biochemistry, genetics & microbiology) into a single molecular biology major. That should tell you something about the differences...

Medicine is quite it's own world and you would have genetics only as an obligatory background subject (with cell biology, biochem, etc.). Genetics via biology would be more focused in "pure science" and you could choose different areas of focus based on your interests if you chose to study for Masters (human genetics, bacterial genetics, molecular genetics, bioinformatics, etc.). Biotechnology is more about applying the knowledge and that's why you might have more maths, organic chem etc.

I ended up picking biotechnology because I thought I'd like to get more "rounded" background in general sciences, but ended up wishing I had chosen biology/genetics because in my program I had minimal course choices and couldn't take all the fun lab courses I wanted to. I'd say that read the study guide carefully and note the differences/similarities. I know it's pretty hard when you have zero experience in studying in University, but you could contact the program supervisors (or whatever they are called in your country) and ask. That's what I did when I applied. Another thing to think/ask about is what are your options for Masters degree? Would a certain BC open/close certain possibilities for certain majors? Do you already have an idea what you would like to do / where you would like to work after graduating? Industry, research, teaching?

Edit:

@ OP: Are you also familiar with these resources?

http://www.informatics.jax.org/
http://www.espcr.org/micemut/
http://www.informatics.jax.org/wksilvers/
http://www.informatics.jax.org/silverbook/
http://www.informatics.jax.org/greenbook/
http://www.informatics.jax.org/morsebook/
http://www.nature.com/nature/mousegenome/

Edit 2: If you don't like to read on screen, your university library might have print copies. Mine had some of these and they ordered a couple more when I asked!


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## windyhill (Jan 19, 2010)

Welcome


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## eolas Sionnach (Jun 3, 2013)

Hi I am doing a study for my own interest and would love your feedback I only have a basic understanding of genetics however I am working on what I intend to be a five year study on nutrition effects over generations on a mouse colony. I am new here as well and i would like to compare notes as well.  If you are willing to that is.


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## mousefan (Nov 3, 2012)

Hello, and welcome! Good luck with your experiment


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