Animal husbandry

Mice were obtained from the Jackson Laboratory. All experiments were conducted in accordance with the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology's statement on the use of animals in ophthalmic research. The Jackson Laboratory's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approved all procedures described here. The YBR/EiJ mice were maintained on a NIH31 diet (6% fat) and HCl acidified water (pH 2.8-3.2). To avoid obesity, C57BL/6J (B6) mice and progeny used for gene mapping were fed with the same NIH31 diet but with a 4% fat content. Diets were provided ad libitum. Mice were housed in cages with pine wood shavings as bedding and covered with polyester filters. The cages were maintained in an environment kept at 21°C with a 14-h light and 10-h dark cycle.