Animal Modeling Core

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There is an unmet need for a centralized Core providing expertise and training specifically focused on mouse models relevant to cutaneous biology and disease. Capitalizing on over 18 years of intensive mouse modeling expertise by the Core Director and Associate Director, the Animal Modeling Core (AMC) of the University of Michigan Skin Biology and Diseases Resource-based Center (UM-SBDRC) will serve as a shared resource to facilitate the design, development, and characterization of mouse models aimed at gaining deeper insight into skin biology and disease. The Core will also provide technical expertise and guidance needed to properly perform a variety of in vivo procedures and assays. Conventional and inducible genetically-engineered mouse models (GEMMs) provide powerful tools for functional analyses and preclinical studies, but it would be costly and inefficient for all investigators to independently acquire the knowledge and expertise needed to successfully design and carry out these studies. Thus, the overarching, long-term goal of this Core is to facilitate the development and use of state-of-the-art mouse models and provide relevant consultation, training, and troubleshooting for Center members interested in pursuing skin-related studies in mice. We will provide hands-on assistance with the following services and training. 1) Consultation on the design and development of project-specific GEMMs, including conventional, Cre-inducible, doxycycline-inducible, and conditional mutant mice. 2) Guidance for producing and validating mouse models, including transgene construction, verification, genotyping, and GEMM production; screening; breeding, strain establishment, and validation. 3) In vivo manipulation, including transgene induction protocols, UV irradiation, induction of skin inflammation by exogenous agents, bleomycin-induced fibrosis, and orthotopic xenografts and allografts. 4) GEMM phenotyping, including proper tissue collection and processing; morphologic, biochemical, and molecular characterization; cross-species validation; and establishment of GEMM-derived primary cultures and immortalized cell lines, taking into consideration key experimental variables including body site, gender, and age. Work performed with the assistance of this Core will 1) greatly facilitate the in vivo, functional validation of key inflammatory mediators and interacting pathways identified by Center Members through work done in the Functional Analytics Core; 2) ensure consistent and reproducible phenotype characterization across the range of mouse models used by Center Members; 3) yield novel mouse models of human skin disease that will be of value to the skin research community; 4) promote the development of new mouse modeling technology that will be of use to multiple disciplines; and 5) provide powerful GEMMs and tissues for detailed multi-omics analysis in the Functional Analytics Core.