MUTANT MOUSE REGIONAL RESOURCE CENTER

老鼠显然已经成为分析和解释人类基因组计划提供的大量数据的首选模式生物。诱导突变小鼠的建立已经成为常规；然而，这些小鼠的表型特征并没有跟上步伐。此外，调查人员往往很难将这一重要资源分配给提出请求的其他调查人员。由于突变小鼠是了解人类疾病和致力于疾病治疗的重要研究工具，Taconic的目标是建立一个地区性中心，帮助表征和分布这些突变。简而言之，我们打算通过采用有系统的输入、评估、改进和分配程序来完善资源。我们将利用现有的屏障和传统的住房来建立和维护通过突变鼠区域资源中心进口的突变系小鼠。这些品系的胚胎将被冷冻保存并重新衍生，为小鼠提供非常高的标准健康状况。我们将进行广泛的行为和病理表型鉴定，微阵列技术也将被评估为一种对突变小鼠的表型进行遗传学表征的工具。将对小鼠的遗传背景进行评估，并在必要时进一步定义。突变小鼠和冷冻胚胎的计算机数据库将是最先进的，我们将使用我们完善的分销网络，应要求将小鼠交付给调查人员。我们的总体目标是帮助确定突变小鼠的特征并将其交付给研究界，以便这些突变可能成为阐明哺乳动物体内平衡和疾病机制的更有价值的工具。

The mouse has clearly become the model organism of choice for analyzing and interpreting the reams of data provided by the human genome initiative. The creation of induced mutant mice has become routine; however, the phenotypic characterization of these mice has not kept pace. In addition, it is often difficult for investigators to distribute this important resource to other investigators who request them. Since mutant mice are such an important research tool for understanding human disease and for working towards treatments of disease, Taconic's goal is to form a regional center that would aid in the characterization and the distribution of these mutants. In brief, we intend to refine the resource through the use of a systematic importation, evaluation, improvement and distribution procedure. We will use current barrier and traditional housing to establish and maintain mutant lines of mice imported through the Mutant Mouse Regional Resource Center. These lines will be embryo cryopreserved and rederived to provide mice with a very high standard health profile. We will perform extensive behavioral and pathological phenotyping and microarray technology will also be evaluated as a tool to genetically characterize the phenotypes of mutant mice. The genetic background of the mice will be evaluated and further defined as necessary. Computer databases for mutant mice and cryopreserved embryos will be state-of-the-art and we will use our well-established distribution network to deliver mice to investigators upon request. Our overall objective is to assist in the characterization and delivery of mutant mice to the research community so that such mutants may become even more valuable tools in the elucidation of the mechanisms governing mammalian homeostasis and disease.