The development of transgenic and knockout mice and the use of viral gene delivery have allowed major advances in alcohol research and in basic research in general. Transgenic and knockout mice have provided extremely useful molecular tools to investigate the genetic basis of pathological conditions and will be used in this center grant to address critical mechanistic questions related to alcohol-induced pathogenesis in the brain and liver. Recent developments with viral vectors have allowed investigators to use these for gene delivery in vivo and in vitro as research tools aimed at elucidating the molecular and genetic basis of pathological conditions. The Viral Vector and Genotyping Core will provide center members a unique and novel opportunity to utilize recombinant viral vectors to analyze mechanisms involved in ethanol-induced psychological behavior and ethanol-induced brain and liver pathology. This core will assist center members who do not have a solid foundation in viral mediated gene transfer techniques with the necessary expertise from experienced colleagues, facilities, and experimental reagents. The Viral Vector and Genotyping Core will supply center members with expert assistance in the construction of adeno-associated virus (AAV) and adenovirus (AD) vectors and will provide high titer viral preparations necessary to investigate aspects or neural and hepatic ethanol induced pathologies not easily accomplished by inexperienced investigators. The Core will also provide critical genotyping assistance for monitoring genotype integrity of the experimental animals.
The specific aims for this Core will provide each investigator with the necessary expertise, facilities, and procedures needed to produce AAV and AD vectors and will meet the demands for validating the genetics of the research animals to accomplish the goals of the proposed investigations.
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