Inheritance of hydronephrosis in the inbred mouse strain DDD

Abstract

The mode of inheritance of hydronephrosis was investigated by crossing inbred DDD mice having a high incidence of hydronephrosis and C57BL/6 mice having normal kidneys. In the males, incidences of hydronephrosis in F₁ animals were intermediate between the two parental strains at a rate of 32·6% in (DDD × C57BL/6)F₁ and 23·4% in reciprocal F₁. The same tendency was observed in F₂ male animals. In BCF₁ males, the number of affected mice was higher in (C57BL/6 × DDD) F₁ × DDD (72·4%) than in (DDD × C57BL/6)F₁ × C57BL/6 (11·1%). A few affected mice were found among the females of hybrids F₁, F₂ and BCF₁. These results suggested that hydronephrosis in the DOD strain of mice was controlled by polygenes, and that male hormones may have some effect on the occurrence of hydronephrosis.