A CAROLINA CENTER TO CHARACTERIZE & MAINTAIN MUTANT MICE

在过去的20年里，生物医学研究经历了促进小鼠基因组操作的技术的爆炸性发展。这些技术对大多数研究人员来说都很容易获得，因此，大量有价值的诱导突变小鼠品系正在不断产生。鉴于单个实验室维护和分发这些品系的成本很高，我们有必要发展高效的专家资源中心来引进、鉴定和分发突变小鼠。这样的设施应该在菌株的维护和繁殖方面保持高标准，促进我们对最广泛使用的菌株的了解，并开发有助于有效产生和分析这类菌株的技术。北卡罗来纳大学长期以来一直致力于在生物医学研究中使用鼠标，大量著名的北卡罗来纳大学研究人员致力于这一方法就是明证。北卡罗来纳大学为大量无病原体的小鼠维护最先进的住房和支持设施，以及能够进行小鼠模型研究的核心研究设施。其中包括动物模型、组织病理学、临床化学和RIA核心。特派人员在所有级别为这些资源配备人员。UNC-MMRRC的具体目标是：(1)进口、再衍生、分型、维护和分发新的小鼠品系。在第一年，将进口15个新品系，在接下来的几年中每年增长到30个新品系；(2)超低温保存新的和现有的突变品系；(3)在获取、存储和交换数据以及开发技术方面与IMR和其他MMRRC节点对接；(4)在组织病理、生理、细胞生物学和分子异常方面对特定数量的小鼠品系进行表型鉴定。北卡罗来纳大学在癌症、心血管生物学、免疫学和神经科学领域拥有可能进行广泛分析的特殊专业知识；(5)开发从体细胞高效地“克隆”小鼠的能力。在北卡罗来纳大学动物模型核心项目中，Thresher博士将扩展Oliver Smithies博士实验室目前的工作；(6)开发有助于在特定细胞/组织类型中进行快速表型鉴定的“报告”小鼠品系。作为单独开发/提供此类菌株或诱导突变背景的可行性的测试系统，将获得或产生并研究在特定细胞类型中表达绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)的有限数量的菌株。

In the past 20 years biomedical research has experienced an explosion in the technologies that facilitate manipulation of the mouse genome. These technologies are readily accessible to most investigators, and as a result, a tremendous number of valuable induced mutant mouse strains are being continuously generated. Given the high cost to individual laboratories for the maintenance and distribution of such strains, it is essential that we develop high efficiency expert resource centers to import, characterize and distribute mutant mice. Such facilities should maintain high standards in the maintenance and propagation of strains, advance our understanding of the most broadly useful strains, and develop technologies that facilitate the efficient generation and phenotypic analysis of such strains. UNC has had a long standing commitment to the use of the mouse in biomedical research, as evidenced by the large number of prominent UNC investigators committed to this approach. UNC maintains state of the art housing and support facilities for large numbers of pathogen-free mice, along with core research facilities that enable mouse model studies. These include the Animal Models, Histopathology, Clinical Chemistry, and RIA cores. Exceptional personnel staff these resources at all levels. Specific aims of the UNC-MMRRC are to: (1) Import, rederive, genotype, maintain and distribute new mouse strains. In the first year, 15 new strains will be imported, growing to 30 new strains per year in subsequent years; (2) Cryopreserve new and existing mutant strains; (3) Interface with the IMR and other MMRRC nodes in the acquisition, storage, and exchange of data and the development of technologies; (4) Phenotypically characterize a specified number of mouse strains with regard to histopathological, physiological, cell biological and molecular abnormalities. Special expertise at UNC for possible extensive analyses exists in the fields of Cancer, Cardiovascular Biology, Immunology, and Neuroscience; (5) Develop the ability to efficiently "clone" mice from somatic cells. In the UNC Animal Models Core, Dr. Thresher will expand current efforts by the Dr. Oliver Smithies' lab; (6) Develop "reporter" mouse strains that will facilitate rapid phenotyping within particular cell/tissue types. As a test system for the feasibility of developing/providing such strains alone or induced mutant backgrounds, a limited number of strains that express green fluorescent protein (GFP) in specific cell types will be obtained or generated and studied.