The overall goal of the Cell and Molecular Biology Core (C&MD) is to stimulate research in infection and injury states affecting the intestine and liver. The C&MB Core will: (1) provide training in the conduct of various molecular protocols and in cell culture techniques relevant to GI research, (2) provide consultation in the choice methodology to be applied in research problems being addressed by the Texas Gulf Coast Digestive Disease Research Center (called DDC for simplicity) members, (3) conduct periodic workshops for the DDC members to provide information about new technologies acquired by the Core and to obtain feedback on needed technologies, (4) make available its specialized reagents, equipment and laboratory facilities to GI researchers, (5) develop new tests based on laser capture microdissection that may be useful in clinical and basic research, (6) develop protocols and expertise for use of microarray analysis of gene expression for basic and clinical research, (7) develop co-culture techniques for myofibroblasts and intestinal epithelial cells for use in developmental studies and for cultivation of viral and bacterial pathogens, and (8) provide services, both routine and specialized, that will facilitate the quantity and quality of research carried out by the DDC members. Major core services include: culture of primary hepatocytes and intestinal epithelial cells, maintenance of cell lines, genotyping (both by Southern and PCR), Northern analysis, Western analysis, electrophoretic mobility shift assays, differential display and other analytic procedures for DNA, RNA, and protein. Finally, this Core will advise investigators about production of transgenic mice that express a gene of interest in the GI tract of GI-specific knockout mice.
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