Developing New Skills for Mouse Neurogenetics Research

描述(申请人提供)：小鼠遗传学和基因组学的发展使研究人员处于有利地位，可以检测、研究人类疾病的小鼠模型，并从这些模型中获得洞察力，包括神经和行为缺陷的模型。具体地说，基因发现的进步导致了NIH在表型分析开发和大规模突变中心发起的倡议，目的是检测、生产、表征新的动物模型并向研究界提供新的动物模型。杰克逊实验室(TJL)的神经科学突变设施(NMF)是刚刚开始使用已经开发的表型分析产生突变的三个中心之一。NMF的一个关键组成部分是，它必须保持前沿，并与研究社区的需求保持一致，不断发展其专业知识体系。相反，TJL和NMF在小鼠遗传学方面拥有丰富的专业知识，并向来访的科学家和受训者提供前向遗传筛查。为此，在我们建议的一个轨道上，知名调查人员作为访问调查人员在NMF工作一个月到一年，他们是因为他们在神经行为研究领域的专业知识而被挑选出来的，该领域要么是对NMF的补充，要么是有能力极大地增强NMF。反过来，这些研究人员学习如何将他们的方法应用于小鼠的基因筛查，这通常意味着学习如何评估多个基因类型的参数，如何检测离群值，以及如何从高通量分析中提取最大量的特定信息。在这里赞助这类活动的一个独特优势是，NMF是一个中央设施，大多数筛选工作都是在一个屋檐下完成的，因此提供了积累、巩固和潜在地将这些培训经验有效地纳入我们的操作程序的机会。在第二个课程中，高级本科生或博士生来到NMF学习小鼠神经遗传学的基础知识，并与实验室小鼠合作，同时获得他们对我们项目的重要贡献的感觉。学生来自TJL的长期学生项目，或从访问调查人员的家庭小组中被确定为特殊候选人。TJL在这些项目上的经验以及不同的课程和会议有助于增强学生对其培训的看法。这两个轨道都需要在培训期间之前制定研究计划，并且都有评估成功的方法。我们要求资金支持两名访问调查人员和两名学生在任何给定时间的旅行和住宿，以及支持这些活动所需的用品、动物护理资源和教职员工工资。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Developments in mouse genetics and genomics have put researchers in a strong position to detect, study and derive insight from mouse models for human disorders, including those for neurological and behavioral defects. Specifically, advances in gene discovery led to the launch of NIH initiatives in phenotype assay development and in large-scale mutagenesis centers with the goal to detect, produce, characterize and make available new animal models to the research community. The Neuroscience Mutagenesis Facility (NMF) at The Jackson Laboratory (TJL) is one of three Centers which has just started to produce mutants using phenotyping assays already developed. A critical component of the NMF is that it must remain cutting edge and in tune with the research community's needs, continually evolving its body of expertise. Conversely, TJL and the NMF have a great deal of expertise in mouse genetics and forward genetic screens to offer to visiting scientists and trainees. Towards these ends, in one track of our proposal, established investigators work in the NMF for a period of one month to one year as Visiting Investigators, selected for their expertise in an area of neurobehavioral research that either complements the NMF or has the ability to greatly enhance it. In turn, these investigators learn how to apply their approaches to forward genetic screens in mouse, which typically means learning how to evaluate parameters across multiple genotypes, how to detect outliers and how to extract the most amount of specific information from a high-throughput assay. A unique advantage of sponsoring this type of activity here is that the NMF is a centralized facility with most of the screening done "under one roof," thus offering the chance to accumulate, consolidate and potentially to install these training experiences efficiently into our operating procedures. In the second track, advanced undergraduate or predoctoral students come to the NMF to learn the basics of mouse neurogenetics and working with laboratory mice while gaining the sense that their contribution is important to our program. Students come from TJL's longstanding student programs or are identified as exceptional candidates from Visiting Investigators' home groups. TJL's experience with these programs and diverse slate of courses and conferences serve to enhance a student's perspective on their training. Both tracks require development of research plans in advance of the training period, and both have methods in place to evaluate success. We request funds to support the travel and lodging of two Visiting Investigators and two Students at any given time, plus the supplies, animal care resources and faculty salary required to support these activities.