Animal Core

动物核心（核心B）将监督本项目资助的所有动物要求。Core B提供的狒狒模型被所有三个项目平等地使用。Core B的主要目标是在5年的项目中每年提供20只怀孕狒狒进行剖腹产。为了实现这一目标，核心B将：(i)对动物管理和饮食管理进行监督；（ii）启动育种方案；㈢保存动物健康记录，包括饮食、形态测量、产科和临床病史；（iv）安排和实施剖腹产手术；(v)管理组织收集过程、样本库存和组织共享计划，包括将样本分发给项目和基因组学、表观基因组学和

The Animal Core (Core B) will oversee all animal requirements of this Program Grant. The baboon model provided by Core B is used equally by all three Projects. The primary objective of Core B is to provide 20 pregnant baboons for C-Section in each year of the 5-year program. In order to achieve this objective, Core B will: (i) provide oversight of animal management and diet administration; (ii) initiate breeding protocols; (iii) maintain records of animal health including diet, morphometric, obstetric and clinical history; (iv) schedule and conduct C-Section surgeries; (v) manage the tissue collection process, sample inventory and the tissue sharing plan including distribution of samples to the Projects and the Genomics, Epigenomics and Proteomics Core (Core C). Core B will consist of a PI (Dr. Nijland), a Co-PI (Dr. Nathanielsz), three animal technicians, a Data Analyst and sub award PI Dr Laura Cox (Texas Biomedical Research Institute; providing fee for service access to the animals and veterinary services). To achieve its objectives, Core B will provide pregnancies exposed to three maternal diets (n=16 per diet): (1) control (CTR), (2) nutrient restricted (MNR, 70% of CTR starting at 30 days (d) of gestation), and (3) intervention (INT, MNR plus CTR leucine content). Fetal tissue samples will be obtained at two gestational ages in the second half of pregnancy, 140d and 180d (n=48 per age; term ~ 185d), chosen to complement the ages studied in the current funding period (90d, 120d and 165d). We know the MNR diet is associated with lUGR, reduced fetal circulating levels of essential amino acids, and structural and functional changes in a range of fetal organs including placenta, brain and kidney relative to CTR. The striking similarities in reproductive physiology and the close evolutionary relationship between baboons and humans, combined with the significant body of information on baboon metabolism available in the literature, the collective experience of our group and members of the SNPRC working with non-human primates, and the lack of relevant data on the mechanisms underlying the impact of MNR on primate fetal development proved a very strong justification for the use of the baboon as the animal model in this proposal.