A Neuromutagenesis Training and Education Program

描述（由申请人提供）：美国国立卫生研究院（NIH）已将发现通过人类基因组计划鉴定的基因的功能作为优先事项。小鼠被认为是模拟人类疾病的杰出生物体，各种倡议都集中在这方面的使用。阐明基因功能的一种强有力的手段是通过诱变，NIMH和其他神经学研究所已经资助了三个中心，在小鼠中进行化学诱变，并筛选小鼠的神经科学相关表型。为了使这些中心成为神经科学界的核心用途，每个中心都必须吸引研究人员将诱变设施用于他们的研究计划。田纳西州小鼠基因组联盟（TMGC）是田纳西州的八个机构之一，是三个受资助的中心之一，并提出了一项招募研究人员和学生的计划，以最大限度地发挥我们的神经诱变计划的潜力，并培训个人使用突变小鼠进行神经科学研究。我们的培训和教育计划有三个组成部分。首先，我们将积极招募研究人员，他们对将新的表型分析方案应用于我们的突变小鼠表现出持久的兴趣。这可能代表了一些人的新方向，或者是对其他人的遗传分析力量的认识，但在所有情况下，我们都将与他们合作，了解我们计划的基础知识，并为这些努力获得持续的资金。其次，我们将建立一个培训计划，为本科生和研究生和博士后研究员在行为分析的突变小鼠使用TMGC神经诱变计划。最后，我们建议提供一个年度研讨会式的神经遗传学和小鼠行为分析课程。通过这三种机制，我们计划创建一个新的研究人员库，他们了解神经遗传学方法的力量，并可以利用神经突变小鼠来了解大脑结构和功能。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The NIH has placed a priority on discovering the function of genes identified through the human genome project. The mouse has been recognized as the pre-eminent organism to model human disease and various initiatives have focused on its use in this regard. One powerful means to illuminate gene function is through mutagenesis, and the NIMH and other neurological institutes have funded three centers to carry out chemical mutagenesis in the mouse and screen mice for neuroscience-related phenotypes. To make these centers of core use to the neuroscience community, each center must attract researchers to use the mutagenesis facilities for their research programs. The Tennessee Mouse Genome Consortium (TMGC), a group of eight institutions across the State of Tennessee, is one of the three funded centers and proposes a plan to recruit researchers and students to maximize the potential of our neuromutagenesis program and train individuals in the use of mutant mice for neuroscientific endeavors. We have three components of our training and education plan. First, we will actively work to recruit investigators who demonstrate an abiding interest in applying new phenotyping protocols to our mutant mice. This may represent a new direction for some or a realization of the power of genetic analysis for others, but in all cases we will work with them to understand the basics of our program and to obtain sustained funding for these efforts. Second, we will establish a training program for undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the behavioral analysis of mutant mice using the TMGC neuromutagenesis program. Finally, we propose to offer an annual workshop-style course in neurogenetics and analysis of mouse behavior. Through these three mechanisms, we plan to create a new pool of researchers that understand the power of neurogenetic approaches and can take advantage of neurological mutant mice in understanding brain structure and function.