Mouse Core Abstract: Effective radiation experiments with mice require not only selection of appropriate mouse strains but also adherence to strict standards in pre- and post-irradiation care to minimize stress that might confound radiation responses. Because all the Projects depend on shared samples, mouse resources in the current grant submission have been centralized by establishing a Mouse Core, rather than trying to replicate expertise and experiments in each of the Projects. Centralized mouse handling has a strong positive impact on the quality of experimental results and will allow a more streamlined integration of data generated across the three Projects. Specifically, the Mouse Core will provide basic support for mouse studies conducted in all three projects. This will include provision of animals through establishing and/or maintaining breeding colonies for C57L/J and the mouse models of inflammation (IL10-/-, p38+/DN, p38??Y323F and Gadd45a-/-). The Mouse Core will also provide support during irradiation experiments, including animal handling, anesthesia, euthanasia, and acquisition of serial and terminal blood, saliva, and urine samples for analysis in the Projects. In addition, the Mouse Core will be responsible for assessment of mouse pulmonary function in the studies of radiation- induced late pulmonary injury. This will be done through breathing rate measurements and microCT imaging. The Mouse Core will also be responsible for post-mortem pathological analyses of the mouse lungs. Finally, the Mouse Core will provide support for use of the hematopoietically humanized mouse model, generating sufficient numbers of humanized mice for use in all three Projects. The Core will also provide assistance in cell sorting, phenotypic analysis (by flow cytometry), and isolating human cells from the mice following irradiation.
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