Grants and Contracts Details
Description
Specific Aim 1. Efficiently manage, produce, and distribute Mexican axolotls to
enable biomedical research. The Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center (AGSC) at the
University of Kentucky maintains a significant collection of Mexican axolotls in support
of research and educational efforts nationally and internationally. The AGSC produces
and distributes axolotl stocks using protocols that have been innovated and refined over
four decades. The host institution is currently renovating new space and installing
automated rearing equipment to double the size of the AGSC facility. Funding under
this Aim will allow the AGSC to continue their central mission of providing axolotl
stocks to users while implementing a new resource management plan. A new
management plan is needed to meet increased demand for axolotl stocks and create new
services, while ensuring animal health and long-term sustainability of the resource. One
half of the newly renovated space will be used to increase the size of the adult
population. This will increase the AGSC’s capacity to fill large orders of juveniles and
adults, which take considerable time and effort to rear. Also, by increasing production
capacity, the AGSC will be able to innovate new products and services for the
community. The other half of the newly renovated space will serve as a depository for
transgenic lines that are deemed high priority by the AGSC advisory committee.
Overall, accomplishment of this Aim will ensure distribution and long-term
sustainability of axolotl resources to NIH-funded investigators.
Specific Aim 2. Make axolotl information, protocols, and learning activities available
to investigators and educators. The AGSC is more than a stock center; it also serves as
an informatics hub for the community. Several times each week the PI, Associate
Director, and Collection Curator respond to user questions, and every effort is made to
provide answers to queries within 24 hours. The PI has considerable experience using
the axolotl in a variety of research areas and maintains a computer server and website
(Sal-Site) that distributes genome-based informatics to the research community. Under
this Aim, the AGSC website will be administered and further developed to provide
investigators with information about the collection, technical procedures, IACUC
protocols, potential collaborators, and research findings. Also, AGSC staff will attend
scientific meetings and make presentations to grow the user base. Finally, the AGSC will
work with investigators to develop learning modules that focus on questions in
regenerative biology and medicine. Accomplishment of this Aim will extend the axolotl
knowledge base thus enhancing the animal resource.
Specific Aim 3. Develop a custom microinjection service to assist investigators in the
preparation of transgenic axolotl embryos. Several new transgenic approaches have
been developed within the past few years that allow highly efficient and targeted
modification of genomic sequence. While the axolotl will never be a genetic model
organism, it is important to establish standardized methods for creating transgenic
axolotls so that candidate gene functions can be manipulated and cellular fates and
behaviors monitored. Preliminary data is presented to show that the AGSC is
optimizing methods for: 1) Editing genes using TALENs, and 2) Knocking-in genes
using the Tol2 system. Under this applied research Aim, protocols will be optimized to
develop a custom service for injecting axolotl embryos. Investigators will have the
option of visiting the AGSC and injecting embryos on-site, or they will submit prepared
materials for injection by AGSC staff. The later option will bring transgenic axolotls to
investigators that do not have sufficient infrastructure to house a breeding colony of
axolotls for embryo production. Accomplishment of this Aim will speed development
and increase access of transgenic axolotls for biomedical research.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 3/1/15 → 2/28/19 |
Funding
- Office of the Director: $347,405.00
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