• Background Strain: Fischer 344

Availability: Cryopreserved as heterozygous embryos
Zygosity: Heterozygous

Recombination Activation Genes (Rag) encode enzymes that play an important role in the rearrangement and recombination of the genes of immunoglobulin and T cell receptor molecules during the process of V(D)J recombination. Rag1 knockout rats lack mature B and T lymphocytes.

Mature B and T cells are critical components for an adaptive immune system. Rats deficient in Rag1 protein produce no mature B or T cells. This non-leaky model for severe combined immune deficiency is useful for vaccine development, as well as the study of autoimmune and infectious diseases.