Comparative Anatomy and Histology

A Mouse, Rat, and Human Atlas

Piper M. Treuting,Suzanne M. Dintzis,Kathleen S. Montine

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9780128029190
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Ciencias biológicas
• Subtopic: Fisiología

The second edition of Comparative Anatomy and Histology is aimed at the new rodent investigator as well as medical and veterinary pathologists who need to expand their knowledge base into comparative anatomy and histology. It guides the reader through normal mouse and rat anatomy and histology using direct comparison to the human. The side by side comparison of mouse, rat, and human tissues highlight the unique biology of the rodents, which has great impact on the validation of rodent models of human disease.

• Offers the only comprehensive source for comparing mouse, rat, and human anatomy and histology through over 1500 full-color images, in one reference work
• Enables human and veterinary pathologists to examine tissue samples with greater accuracy and confidence
• Teaches biomedical researchers to examine the histologic changes in their model rodents
• Experts from both human and veterinary fields take readers through each organ system in a side-by-side comparative approach to anatomy and histology - human Netter anatomy images along with Netter-style rodent images

1

Introduction

Piper M. Treuting, Suzanne M. Dintzis and Kathleen S. Montine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States

Abstract

This atlas is written both for the new rodent investigator and medical and veterinary pathologists who wish to expand their knowledge of comparative anatomy and histology. It guides the reader through normal mouse and rat anatomy and histology using direct comparison to human. The side-by-side comparison of rodent and human tissues highlights the unique biology of the mouse and rat. Differences between the species have a great impact on the validation of rodent models of human disease. As the silos of basic academic and preclinical research breakdown, comparative pathologists must be well-versed in mouse and rat anatomy and histology as compared to human.

Keywords

Anatomy; comparative; histology; rodent; mouse models; rat; mice; pathology; translational research

Overview and Introduction to the Second Edition

Comparative Anatomy and Histology is written both for the new rodent investigator and for students, histologists, and pathologists who wish to expand their knowledge of comparative anatomy and histology. It guides the reader through normal mouse and rat anatomy and histology with direct comparisons to human. The side-by-side comparison of rodent and human tissues also highlights the unique biology of the mouse and rat. Such differences have a great impact on the investigation and validation of rodent models of human disease. As the silos of basic academic and preclinical research breakdown, comparative pathologists must be well versed in mouse and rat anatomy and histology as it compares to human.

This atlas was created with the goal of being an easy to use, practical reference for neophytes, as well as experts who may be embarking on the study of a new species, organ system, or tissue. Thus it uses the preferred clinical anatomic terminology used in everyday practice and most familiar to biomedical researchers. The formal Latinized nomenclature recommended by the Nomia Anatomica Veterinaria (NAV) and Terminologia Anatomica (TA) is included in Further Reading and Relevant Websites.

In the second edition we have revised and refined the first edition material based on reviews and comments from readers, our solicited advisory panel of international experts, and the chapter contributors. This group effort has helped improve the original material, especially the figures and offers a more pragmatic organization. In addition to revising the original mouse and human material, the second edition adds the rat. The rat is currently the primary rodent used in toxicologic and industrial research. Increased use of genetically modified rats in basic research is anticipated due to the advent of CRISPR/Cas9 system for genetic modification. We note that in this atlas, the term “rodents” is defined as only Mus musculus and Rattus norvegicus, the most common laboratory mouse and rat species. Thus the term “rodents” herein does not include all Rodentia.

Comparative Pathology: Closing a Gap

Biomedical research institutions worldwide are literally overrun with mice and, increasingly, rats. More than 60% of extramural National Institutes of Health (NIH)–funded grants use animals; most of these are mouse models of human disease, many of which involve genetically engineered mice. Rats are used in both toxicologic and industrial research and genetically modified rats are poised to compete with mice in their use as genetically modified models. The perceived value of mice and rats is to model the human condition and to support hypothesis-generating and hypothesis-testing research. Rodent models of human disease have proven valuable to biomedical research, but only with appropriate validation and careful translation of rodent data to human systems. Validation of rodent models as defined by Cardiff and colleagues involves determining to what extent the attributes of the experimental system (in this case, the rodent phenotype) match the attributes of human disease. As the phenotype of the human disease or condition being modeled becomes more complex, the validity of the rodent model becomes more important. A rodent model that is not appropriately validated does not value the use of those animals, wastes research dollars, and can even result in risks to humans if preclinical data are incorrectly translated to human patients.

Validation of rodent models through phenotyping (discussed in Chapter 2: Phenotyping) in order to translate of experimental findings in mice and rats to human disease is best done by a comparative pathologist and requires a broad and unique skill set covering rodent and human anat...