Introduction to the laboratory axolotl and the ambystoma genetic stock center

Laboratory populations of the Mexican axolotl have been sustained for over 150 years in support of biological research. With recent advances in genetic and genome resource development, the axolotl is attracting considerable attention from new researchers, especially in the area of tissue regeneration. To reduce the learning curve and generally facilitate broader use of the axolotl, we introduce the Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center (AGSC), a research resource center that sustains and makes axolotl stocks available to researchers nationally and internationally. In order to assist researchers who are unfamiliar with axolotl biology, we describe our methods of husbandry, highlighting water quality and extrinsic environmental variables that the stock center controls and monitors to ensure axolotl health and well-being.