• Background strain: Long Evans Hooded
• Deletions of Park6 (gene encoding Pink1) and Park2 (gene encoding Parkin) were confirmed by genotyping
• Pink1/Parkin double knockout rats show changes in gait patterns at 2 months of age (Stauch, 2021)
• 100% of Pink1/Parkin double knockout male rats display the hindlimb dragging phenotype at 4-6 months of age (Stauch, 2021)

Availability: Live colony
Zygosity genotype: Homozygous

Developed in collaboration with the University of Nebraska Medical Center and The Michael J. Fox Foundation, the Pink1/Parkin double knockout rat was created by crossing Pink1 and Park 2 Parkin knockout rats to obtain Pink1^+/-Parkin^+/- rats, which were then interbred to obtain homozygous double knockout rats.

PTEN-induced kinase 1 (Pink1) is a serine/threonine kinase that is localized to the mitochondria. It works in concert with Parkin, a E3-ubiquitin ligase, to trigger the selective degradation of damaged mitochondria through a process called mitophagy. Loss-of-function mutations in Pink1 and Parkin proteins have been linked to early-onset Parkinson’s disease. Both Pink1 and Parkin knockout rat models exhibit a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra; however, only Pink1 knockout rats exhibit motor impairments. The Pink1/Parkin double knockout rat is an ideal model for studying Parkinson’s disease as it exhibits locomotor changes at an earlier age compared to the Pink1 knockout model. Changes in the gait of Pink1/Parkin double knockout rats are observed at 2 months of age. Subsequently, 100% of male Pink1/Parkin double knockout rats display dragging of the hindlimb by 4-6 months of age (Stauch, 2021).