Genetic control of testicular germ cell tumor susceptibility in mice.

Despite a strong heritable component, little is known about the genetic control of susceptibility to testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) in humans or mice.Although the mouse model of TGCT teratocarcinogenesis has been studied intensely for at least 55 years, TGCT genes remain elusive, a fact in part attributable to the genetic complexity of the disease.Evidence for five QTLs containing TGCT enhancers on chromosome 19 was found using the 129-Chr 19 MOLF chromosome substitution strain (CSS), demonstrating the power of CSSs to map TGCT loci to individual chromosomes.In this Chapter, I tested whether ten new incipient 129-Chr MOLF CSSs had dominant QTLs affecting TGCT prevalence at 3 -5 weeks of age.I surveyed backcross males for TGCTs from the 129-Chr B6 , B6-Chr 129 and 129-Chr MOLF panels.The results of this survey indicate the presence of dominant TGCT QTLs on one B6-derived and two MOLF-derived chromosomes.2.2 3.2