Vervet Research Colony as a Biomedical Resource

描述(由申请人提供)： 猕猴的严重短缺迫切需要为生物医学研究开发替代的非人类灵长类动物模型。非洲绿猴(ChlorOcean Bus Atheiops)是填补这一职位的理想人选。Vervets是东半球的猴子，在行为、生理和解剖学上都与恒河猴相似。来自加勒比的马鞭草很容易买到，而且比恒河猴便宜，而且因为它们不携带猿猴疱疹病毒(B病毒)，它们比恒河猴或其他亚洲猕猴替代品带来的健康和安全风险更小。加州大学洛杉矶分校韦尔韦特研究中心(VRC)是一个成熟的中心，29年来一直支持韦尔韦特猴子的神经生物学、行为和遗传学的当地研究，使其处于独特的地位，成为国家韦尔韦特猴子资源中心的基础。在VRC收集的关于马鞭草的广泛的遗传和行为数据库使其成为许多生物医学领域合作研究的特别宝贵的资源，包括肥胖症、糖尿病、衰老、精神和行为障碍以及心血管疾病的易感性。来自NCRR P40赠款的支持将使VRC能够a)通过为NIH资助的研究人员培育已知年龄和病史的美国殖民地出生的、无特定病原体(SPF)的脊椎动物来增加生物医学研究的非人类灵长类动物的供应；b)向外部研究人员提供具有特定特征和条件(例如，衰老、冲动、肥胖、糖尿病)的脊椎动物；c)维持一个纯种的、基因分型的扇贝种群，作为研究遗传对医学性状的贡献的国家资源；D)提供有关马鞭草临床护理和管理的培训和信息，以促进这一物种在其他中心的使用；以及e)支持继续使用马鞭草模型进行遗传、生物行为和神经生物学研究，并开发用于肥胖、糖尿病和代谢综合征研究的新马鞭草模型。已经组织了两个核心来实现这些目标。动物资源中心将管理动物护理和繁育计划，维护群体记录系统，传播有关马鞭猴的饲养和临床特征的信息，并培训兽医使用马鞭猴进行生物医学研究。动物资源核心的研究部分将侧重于提高婴儿的生存能力。遗传学和生物行为核心将为当地和国家的研究人员提供使用多代VRC谱系和关于单个动物的遗传和生物行为信息的广泛数据库的途径，并将为外部研究人员利用这一资源寻找影响生物医学特征的基因提供统计遗传学支持。遗传学和生物行为核心的研究部分将有助于将马鞭草发展成为肥胖症、糖尿病和代谢综合征的模型。这些努力将产生关键信息，并提供接触动物和研究机会，这将扩大马鞭草作为研究人类疾病和障碍的替代非人类灵长类动物模型的使用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The critical shortage of rhesus monkeys has created an urgent need to develop alternative nonhuman primate models for biomedical research. The vervet / African green monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops) is an ideal candidate to fill this position. Vervets are Old World monkeys that resemble the rhesus in behavior, physiology and anatomy. Caribbean-derived vervets are readily available and are less expensive than rhesus, and because they do not carry Herpesvirus simiae (B virus), they present fewer health and safety risks than rhesus or other Asian macaque alternatives. The UCLA Vervet Research Colony (VRC) is an established center that has supported local research in vervet monkey neurobiology, behavior and genetics for 29 years, making it uniquely positioned to serve as the basis for a national resource center for vervet monkeys. The extensive genetic and behavioral database collected on vervets at the VRC make this a particularly valuable resource for collaborative research in a number of areas of biomedical interest, including obesity, diabetes, aging, psychiatric and behavioral disorders, and vulnerability for cardiovascular disease. Support from an NCRR P40 grant will enable the VRC to a) increase the supply of nonhuman primates for biomedical research by breeding US colony-born, specific pathogen free (SPF) vervets of known age and medical history for NIH-funded investigators; b) provide vervets with specific characteristics and conditions (e.g., aged, impulsive, obese, diabetic) to outside investigators; c) maintain a pedigreed, genotyped colony of vervets for use as a national resource for research on genetic contributions to faiomedical traits; d) provide training and information on the clinical care and management of vervets to enhance the use of this species in other centers, and e) support the continued use of vervet models for genetic, biobehavioral and neurobiological research, and the development of new vervet models for research in obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Two cores have been organized to accomplish these aims. The Animal Resources Core will manage the animal care and breeding program, maintain the colony record system, disseminate information on husbandry and clinical characteristics of vervet monkeys, and train veterinarians in the use of vervets for biomedical research. The research component of the Animal Resources Core will focus on increasing infant viability. The Genetics and Biobehavioral Core will provide access for local and national investigators to use the multigenerational VRC pedigree and extensive database of genetic and biobehavioral information available on individual animals, and will provide statistical genetics support for outside investigators to use this resource to find genes that influence biomedical traits. The research component of the Genetics and Biobehavioral Core will contribute to the development of the vervet as a model for obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. These efforts will generate critical information and provide access to animals and research opportunities that will expand the use of the vervet as an alternative nonhuman primate model for the study of human diseases and disorders.