Transgenic resources for neuroscience research

总结 NIMH转基因核心设施有几个主要功能：1）为神经科学研究生产转基因产品，2）支持神经科学遗传研究中的相关技术研究，3）开发新的转基因技术和模型系统，4）参与促进神经科学研究遗传方法的合作项目。 1)生产 过去一年的生产指标包括： a）通过卵母细胞注射产生的15个转基因小鼠项目，每个项目产生多个品系。 B）7 通过卵母细胞注射产生的转基因大鼠项目，每个项目产生多个品系。 c）6 小鼠项目首先改变胚胎干细胞的基因，然后用这些基因来制造小鼠。 2)技术支持 a）127个转基因啮齿动物品系已通过冷冻保存生殖细胞或胚胎存档。 B）通过将品系从携带病原体的动物转移到具有确定的健康状态的动物中，已经重新衍生了61个品系。 c）转基因项目的设计和援助对于没有生产转基因动物经验的NIH神经科学实验室仍然很重要。 3)发展 a）转基因绒猴：在过去的一年里，随着人员的增加以及与日本川崎中央实验动物研究所的Erika Sasaki建立合作协议，制造转基因绒猴的努力有所增加。由于这种合作，进一步改进了已经成功的收获卵母细胞和囊胚的方法。体外方法已完全改变，以反映Sasaki博士实验室使用的方法。培养基、培养条件以及卵和胚胎的分析现在都是以他们实验室展示的成功方法为模型的。与NINDS的合作仍在继续，该研究所有一名新的博士后研究员，核心设施有一名博士后研究员。 B）大鼠ES系：大鼠ES（胚胎干）系，其中一些广泛表达橙子荧光蛋白，已经在实验室中产生。这些来自Long Evans大鼠的细胞系已经培养了几代，仍然表达OFP并保持代表ES细胞的形态。特别是对于大鼠ES系，这不足以确保这些系将有助于嵌合动物。在这一点上，在将任何细胞系注射或融合到胚胎之前，将检查细胞系的核型，以确定产生嵌合体并通过种系将OFP基因传递给后代的潜力。 c）转基因大鼠生产：在与NIDA的合作中，该中心生产了转基因大鼠系，这些转基因大鼠系与急性递送的转基因一起设计，以在中枢神经系统神经元的离散群体中表达基因。这些细胞系在核心设施中产生，然后在NIDA实验室中筛选有用的表达模式。 （d）支助技术：正在开发若干技术，以提高核心支助职能的能力。冷冻小鼠精子和通过使用更新的方法改进IVF是一项重大努力。冷冻大鼠精子并在可接受的水平上完成IVF在所有实验室都是一项具有挑战性的任务，但在与日本的研究人员协商后，这些方法将得到改进。 e）增强的重组方法：虽然核心已经在ES细胞中使用了TALENS，但我们在胚胎中使用这种方法没有成功。我们现在正在与NIDA和NIDCR实验室合作，开发使用CRISPR/cas系统增强重组的新方法。 4)合作项目：以下是2011年启动的项目或去年继续开展的项目清单。 压力和神经发生：在一篇论文中描述了转基因核心中产生的小鼠，该论文显示了神经发生对于对压力的正常反应的必要性。由于已经表明压力会减少神经发生，这个新的结果表明压力的增加是一个循环。 学习和记忆：研究了特异性和严格控制的蛋白质合成对学习和记忆的影响。此外，转基因小鼠模型已被用于显示特定肽表达细胞的作用，以影响恐惧与行为和学习之间的联系。 操纵电路：已经为两个单独的实验室生产了小鼠，其具有可以通过光激活离子通道暂时失活的特定神经元。 这些实验室正在研究在学习和成瘾中活跃的不同神经回路。 成瘾和奖励行为：在核心设施中产生了响应于fos基因的传入输入激活而表达GFP的转基因大鼠系。NIDA的布鲁斯·霍普实验室正在使用这些老鼠来研究成瘾药物引起的神经活动模式，最近还研究了压力在减少奖励行为重建中的作用。 神经元中的mRNA运输：RNA茎环结构对于将信息转运到神经元的特定细胞区室是必需的。为了破坏这种易位机制，已经产生了过表达具有这种结构的mRNA的小鼠。通过在不同的神经元亚型中表达这种转基因mRNA，正在研究这种机制对正常功能的作用。此外，这种机制可能有助于将特定的信息专门定向到突触。

SUMMARY The NIMH transgenic core facility has several major functions: 1) to produce transgenics for neuroscience research, 2) support research with associated techniques in genetic research in neuroscience, 3) develop new transgenic techniques and model system and 4) engage in collaborative projects that promote genetic approaches to neuroscience research. 1) Production Meterics of production over the past year included: a) 15 transgenic mouse projects produced by oocyte injection, with multiple lines produced for each project. b) 7 transgenic rat projects produced by oocyte injection, with multiple lines produced for each project. c) 6 mouse projects have first altering the genes of ES cell and then using those to produce mice. 2) Technical Support a) 127 transgenic rodent lines have been archived by cryopreserving germ cells or embryos. b) 61 lines have been rederived, by transferring lines from pathogen bearing animals into those with defined health status. c) transgenic project design and assistance have continued to be significant to NIH neuroscience labs without experience in producing transgenic animals. 3) Development a) transgenic marmosets: Over the last year the effort to make transgenic marmosets has increased with addition of personnel and the establishing of a collaborative agreement with Erika Sasaki at the Central Institute for Experimental Animals in Kawasaki, Japan. Because of this collaboration the methods to harvest ooctyes and blastocysts, which had been successful were further improved. Methods for in vitro methods have been completely changed to reflec them methods that are used in Dr Sasaki's laboratory. The media, the culture conditions and the analysis of ooctyes and embryos is now modelled on the successful methods that their laboratory demonstrated. The collaboration with NINDS continues, with a new postdoctoral fellow in that institute and a postBAC fellow in the core facility. b) rat ES lines: Rat ES (embryonic stem) lines, some of which ubiquitously express the orange fluorescent protein have been created in the lab. These lines from Long Evans rats have been cultured for several passages, still express OFP and maintain a morphology that is representative of ES cells. Especially with rat ES lines this is not enough to insure that these lines will contribute to a chimeric animal. At this point the karyotype of the lines will be checked before any are injected or fused to embryos in order to determine the potential to produce chimeras and transmit the OFP gene to offspring through the germline. c) Transgenic rat production: in collaboration with NIDA, the core produces transgenic rat lines that are designed in conjunction with acutely delivered transgenes to express genes in discrete populations of central nervous system neurons. These lines are produced in the core facility and then screened for useful expression patterns in NIDA laboratories. d) support techniques: several techniques are under development to increase the capacity of the core's support functions. Freezing mouse sperm and improving IVF by using newer methods is a major effort. Freezing rat sperm and completing IVF at an acceptable level is a challenging task in all laboratories, but having consulted with investigators in Japan, these methods will be improved. e) enhanced recombination methods: While the core has used TALENS in ES cells, we have had no success using this method in embryos. We are now collaboration with NIDA and NIDCR laboratories to develop new methods of enhanced recombination using the CRISPR/cas system. 4) Collaborative projects: below is a list of projects that have been initiated in 2011, or have continued from last year. Stress and neurogenesis: Mice produced in the transgenic core were described in a paper that showed the necessity of neurogenesis for the normal response to stress. Since it has been shown that stress reduces neurogenesis this newer result indicates that a cycle of increasing stress. Learning and memory: The effect of specific and tightly controlled protein synthesis on learning and memory was studied. In addition, transgenic mouse models have been used to show the rrole of specific peptide-expressing cells to influence the link between fear and behavior and learning. Manipulating circuitry: Mice have been produced for two separate laboratories which have specific neurons that could be rendered transiently inactive by light activated ion channels. Those laboratories are investigating different neural circuits that are active in learning and addiction. Addictive and reward behavior: Lines of transgenic rats that express GFP in response to afferent input activation of the fos gene were generated in the core facility. These rats are being used by Bruce Hopes laboratory in NIDA to study patterns of neural activity in response to addictive drugs and most recently in the role of stress in reducing the re-establishment of rewarded behavior. mRNA trafficking in neurons: An RNA stem loop structure is necessary for the translocation of message to specific cell compartments of the neuron. Mice that over express mRNA with this structure have been produced in an effort to disrupt this translocation machinery. By expressing this transgenic mRNA in different neuronal subtypes, the role for this mechanism for normal function is being studied. In addition this mechanism could be useful to target specific messages specifically to the synapse.