What are hairless rats called? - briefly
The hairless variety is known as the nude rat, often referred to simply as a hairless rat. It is a laboratory strain characterized by a mutation that eliminates fur.
What are hairless rats called? - in detail
Hairless laboratory rats are commonly referred to as “nude rats.” The term originates from the mutation that eliminates the normal coat of fur, leaving the animal largely hair‑free. The most widely used nude strain is the athymic (RNU) rat, which also lacks a functional thymus and therefore exhibits severe immunodeficiency. Another recognized hairless variety is the “hairless rat” (HR) strain, which retains a normal immune system but displays the same alopecic phenotype.
Key characteristics of these rats include:
- Absence of fur, exposing pink or pigmented skin.
- Increased susceptibility to temperature fluctuations; housing requires ambient temperatures of 22‑24 °C and supplemental warming for neonates.
- Enhanced visibility of subcutaneous tumors, wounds, and experimental implants, facilitating observation and measurement.
- In the athymic strain, a lack of T‑cell–mediated immunity makes the animal valuable for xenograft studies, allowing human tumor tissue to grow without rejection.
- The hairless but immunocompetent strain serves dermatological research, offering a model for skin barrier studies, wound healing, and transdermal drug delivery.
Breeding practices emphasize careful selection of heterozygous carriers to maintain the hairless phenotype while minimizing inbreeding depression. Genetic confirmation is routinely performed using PCR assays that detect the specific mutation in the Foxn1 gene for athymic rats or the Hr gene for the hairless strain.
Research applications rely on the unique combination of a visible skin surface and, in the case of the athymic rat, an immunodeficient background. These attributes provide a platform for:
- Tumor biology and oncology investigations involving human cell lines.
- Evaluation of topical pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and barrier‑repair agents.
- Studies of skin infection, inflammation, and regeneration.
- Imaging techniques that require unobstructed optical access to underlying tissues.
In summary, the designation “nude rat” identifies the principal hairless laboratory rat, while the broader label “hairless rat” encompasses both immunodeficient and immunocompetent strains used across biomedical research.