The Adipose Tissue and Lipid Biology Core (ATLB) is a new Core that has been developed to replace the Human Studies Core in response to the changing needs of the Research Base. In particular, there is a growing body of researchers studying the role of adipose tissue as a mediator of deleterious effects of obesity and high dietary cholesterol intake on lipid metabolism, insulin sensitivity and atherosclerosis. Many of these investigators are using murine adipose depots as well as murine adipocytes in culture, and are studying the pathogenesis of both adipose tissue inflammation and atherosclerosis in a variety of mouse models. Therefore, this Core was developed so as to provide these researchers with a variety of services. These include high quality and standardized adipocytes for in vitro experiments, along with a standardized approach to the measurement of plasma lipoproteins by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC), developed in collaboration with the Analytic Core. Moreover, since a large number of investigators are assessing atherosclerosis in a variety of mouse models, a decision was made to standardize the quantification and evaluation of the characteristics of atherosclerotic lesions in mice. This approach is well validated and (a) allows better comparison of results between various research groups, (b) provides a cost-effective way of assessing atherosclerosis in various mouse models, (c) reduces the necessity for duplication of equipment and reagents, and (d) provides a high quality service to Affiliate Investigators (Als) who have not previously been able to assess mouse atherosclerosis in their own laboratories. To this end, we have established a Mouse Atherosclerosis Subcore of the ATLB to serve these needs. This Subcore was first established in 2006 as part of the Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center (MMPC) at the University of Washington (UW). Although the MMPC has recently closed, this Subcore was itself highly successful and productive. In view of the needs of NORC investigators in this area, we are fortunate to be able to move this Subcore to the NORC.
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