mortality/aging
• heterozygous females are obtained at sub-Mendelian ratios at 4 weeks of age, with ~20% dying either during the later stages of embryonic development or perinatally
• however, Mendelian ratios, embryo size and morphology are normal at E10.5, E11.5 and 12.5, and surviving females show normal appearance and body weight at ~1 year of age
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reproductive system
• two of the heterozygous females studied did not produce any viable pups
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• most heterozygous females exhibit reduced fertility
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• heterozygous females mated with wild-type males produce fewer pups than wild-type females (4.6 +/- 2.3 versus 15.8 +/- 2.9) over a 14-week period
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cellular
• MEFs obtained from E11.5 embryos show a mild but significant increase in the number of 53BP1 foci and micronuclei relative to wild-type MEFs
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• MEFs are refractory to RASV12/E1A-induced transformation, giving rise to a smaller number of colonies than wild-type MEFs
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• in culture, MEFs obtained from E11.5 embryos proliferate at a slightly lower rate than wild-type MEFs
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• MEFs obtained from E11.5 embryos show a mild but significant increase in the number of 53BP1 foci and micronuclei relative to wild-type MEFs
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