Transgenic Core Facility

Division Of Basic Sciences - Nci

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

In fiscal year 2008, the Transgenics Core staff microinjected 44 constructs for investigators in the Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, CCR and their collaborators. Both linear-derived fragments of genomic DNA and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones were microinjected into inbred and F2 hybrid mouse strains, depending on the goal of the experiment. We also rederived a total of 55 mouse lines for the investigators of Building 539-1CB (NCI-Frederick) and we performed a total of 1,944 surgeries, which includes embryo transfers, vasectomies, ovariectomies and mammary biopsies. We set up an average of 200 timed pregnancies per week and shipped out 37 animal shipments, for which we initiated all Material Transfer Agreements. A full list of the services we provided to our investigators includes microinjection, surgeries (embryo transfers, vasectomies, ovary transfers, ovariectomy, splenectomies and mammary biopsies), breeding, weaning, tail clipping, timed pregnancies, necropsies, palpation and measurement of tumors, injections, blood collection, rederivation, photographs (slides and videos of mice), monitoring aging studies, sending animals to histopathology, initiating Material Transfer Agreements, coordinating animal shipments, data entry, and database management. The Transgenic Core Facility makes its own media, anesthetic, and hormones for use within the facility. We acid-wash all of our own glassware, and we make all of our own injection needles, holding pipettes, and transfer pipettes. The Facility also makes all of its own microinjection dishes, which allows the injector to work with 150-200 embryos at a time instead of the standard 10-30 that depression slides hold. The Transgenic Core Facility is a multifaceted operation; we can take care of just one aspect of a researcher's mouse colony needs or we can manage the entire colony (from the creation of the transgenic mouse line to the line's final disposition) and run all of the related experiments. The transgenic mouse models created by our Core Facility assist the investigators of the Mouse Cancer Genetics Program and their collaborators in studying diseases such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, astrocytoma, and neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).