VERVET RESEARCH COLONY AS A BIOMEDICAL RESOURCE

本子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的众多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能已经从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是中心的，不一定是研究者的机构。描述（由申请人提供）：恒河猴数量严重短缺，迫切需要开发用于生物医学研究的非人类灵长类动物模型。黑尾猴/非洲绿猴（Chlorocebus aethiops）是填补这个职位的理想人选。黑尾猴是东半球的一种猴子，在行为、生理和解剖学上与恒河猴相似。来自加勒比的长尾猴很容易获得，而且比恒河猴便宜，而且由于它们不携带类似疱疹病毒（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Vervet研究殖民地（VRC）是一个成熟的中心，29年来一直支持当地在Vervet猴神经生物学，行为和遗传学方面的研究，使其具有独特的定位，可以作为国家Vervet猴资源中心的基础。VRC收集的关于长耳鼠的广泛遗传和行为数据库使其成为在一些生物医学领域进行合作研究的特别宝贵的资源，这些领域包括肥胖、糖尿病、衰老、精神和行为障碍以及心血管疾病的易感性。NCRR P40拨款的支持将使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菌落出生的无特定病原体（SPF）长尾鼠，增加用于生物医学研究的非人类灵长类动物的供应；B)向外部调查人员提供具有特定特征和条件（例如，老年、冲动、肥胖、糖尿病）的长尾鼠；C)维持一个纯种的、基因分型的马尾鼠群体，作为一种国家资源，用于研究遗传对医学性状的贡献；D)提供临床护理和管理方面的培训和信息，以加强其他中心对这一物种的利用；e)支持继续使用马尾鼠模型进行遗传、生物行为和神经生物学研究，并开发新的马尾鼠模型用于肥胖、糖尿病和代谢综合征的研究。已经组织了两个核心来实现这些目标。动物资源核心将管理动物护理和育种计划，维护种群记录系统，传播有关饲养和黑尾猴临床特征的信息，并培训兽医利用黑尾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生存能力。遗传学和生物行为核心将为地方和国家研究人员提供使用多代VRC谱系和广泛的个体动物遗传和生物行为信息数据库的途径，并将为外部研究人员提供统计遗传学支持，以利用该资源寻找影响生物医学特征的基因。遗传和生物行为核心的研究部分将有助于发展马尾猴作为肥胖，糖尿病和代谢综合征的模型。这些努力将产生重要的信息，并提供获得动物和研究机会的途径，从而扩大将黑尾猴作为研究人类疾病和失调的非人类灵长类动物的替代模型的使用

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. 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 disorder