The Genetic Basis of Preference for Sweet Substances Among Inbred Strains of Mice: Preference Ratio Phenotypes and the Alleles of the Sac and dpa Loci

Five inbred strains (129/J, BALB/cByJ, C3HeB/FeJ, C57BI/6J andDBA/2J) were examined with two-bottle (48 h) preference ratiotesting across concentrations of sodium saccharin (3 x 10^–4M, 10^–3 M, 3 x 10^–3 M and 10^–2 M), d-phenylalanine(10^–3 M, 10^–2 M and 10^–1 M), and l-glutamine(10^–2 M, 3 x 10^–2 M, 10^–1 M and 3 x 10^–1M). Three consistent groupings of strains were observed acrosssubstances and concentrations:

1. C57BI/6J (preference at low andhigh concentrations);
2. BALB/cByJ and C3HeB/FeJ (preferenceat high concentrations);
3. 129/J and DBA/2J (preference at highconcentration for sodiumsaccharin and indifference to d-phenylalanineand l-glutamine).

If a single locus (presumably dpa or Sac) determines these phenotypes,there are likely to be three alleles. If two independent loci(presumably dpa and Sac) determine these phenotypes, an allelicassignment of Sac^b/dpa^+s for the C57BI/6J strain, Sac^b/dpa^–sfor the BALB/cByJ and C3HeB/FeJ strains, and either Sac^d/dpa^+sor Sac^d/dpa^–s for the 129/J and DBA/2J strains is suggested.Chem. Senses 20: 291–298, 1995.