COBRE Cores
Core A - Administrative Core
PI: Curtis Klaaassen, Ph.D, Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics, University of Kansas Medical Center
The Administrative Core of the Program will take on responsibilities for overall oversight, organization and the management of the scientific aspects of the COBRE grant. In addition to the scientific oversight, the core will also provide a number of support services to Program-associated investigators, including fiscal/budgetary management, preparation of progress reports, scheduling of research meetings for project-associated investigators, coordinating travel arrangements and meetings of the external science advisory board, and organizing a regular scientific seminar program and administering a small graduate research training class.
Core B: Molecular Biology Core
PI: Yu-Jui Yvonne Wan, Ph.D., Univ. Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics, University of Kansas
The Molecular Biology Core will provide COBRE projects with essential molecular biology reagents, technical support, and a state-of-the-art facility, so that experiments which require a molecular biology approach can be carried out in a cost-effective way. The Core will provide a central sequencing facility for analyzing DNA sequence and gene polymorphisms; a central facility and reagent bank for real-time PCR to quantify mRNA expression; a high-throughput facility for PCR and genotyping; and vector, plasmid, and bacteria banks for reagent sharing. The Core will house state-of-the-art equipment, including an ABI Prism 3100 Genetic Analyzer (requested in the current application), a real-time PCR machine (in place), a Biomek FX Assay Work Station (liquid dispenser, in place), and 5 thermocyclers (in place), and other commonly used molecular biology equipment such as imaging system with the capability for densitometry analysis, bacteria incubators, and ultracentrifuge. The Core will be staffed with the most experienced molecular biologists, who not only have hands-on experience in using this equipment, but also a proven track record in managing core facility.
Core C: Null Mouse Core
PI: Grace Liejun Guo, Ph.D., Univ. Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics, University of Kansas
The Null Mouse core will maintain standing colonies of nuclear receptor null mice to serve the scientific needs of the all five individual research projects as well as those of the mentors and other investigators at the institution. At the present time there are the following null colonies: PXR, AhR, PXRα, CAR, PPARα, Nrf2, HNF1α, and HNF4α. For the projects of this proposal, SHP, FXR, and RXRα will need to obtained and/or developed. In addition, in collaboration with the KUMC TGIF facility, Core C will have the technical capability to engineer other new knockouts or double knockouts as the needs arise. Another feature of this core will be to isolate tissue, prepare hepatocytes and perform culture experiments upon request for the investigators who use this facility.
Core D: Phenotyping Core
PI: Bryan Copple, Ph.D., Univ. Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics, University of Kansas
The Phenotyping Core will support the COBRE projects by facilitating the rapid phenotype analysis of transgenic or null mice. For example, in determining gene expression pathways that are regulated in the liver of OB/SHP null mice as compared to control OB/OB and SHP null mice under different conditions. The functions of the core will include determining gross histological characteristics of tissue, measuring and localizing protein and gene expression in liver or other tissues by immunocytochemistry or in situ hybridization techniques, perform serum chemistry analysis to follow liver injury and repair during studies of fibrogenesis or fatty liver, and quantitating different cell types isolated from the liver or other sources by flow cytometry.
Core E: Analytical Core
PI: Gregory Reed, Ph.D., Univ. Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics, University of Kansas
The Analytical Core will support the investigators of the COBRE projects by providing instrumentation and expertise in its application to research problems. Specifically, the Analytical Core will provide and promote HPLC, LC-MS/MS, FPLC, and Multi-mode spectrophotometry as analytical tools available to our investigators. This Core will provide COBRE investigators with modern instrumental approaches for the isolation, identification, and quantification of compounds of relevance to their studies of liver function in health and disease. It will validate instrument performance as a component of an overall quality assurance program for this core facility. This Core will assist and to train COBRE investigators in appropriate sampling and sample preparation to take advantage of these instrumental approaches. Finally, the Analytical Core will develop working relationships with other core facilities on this campus and on other campuses in the state to further develop the capabilities and the efficiency of all cores.
This grant was made possible by NIH Grant Number P20 RR021940 from the COBRE program of the National Center for Research Resources.
