Websites related to neurobiology research

Alström Syndrome website

This website was constructed and is maintained by The Jackson Laboratory's Jan Marshall, who has been researching Alström syndrome for nearly 15 years and played a critical role in determining that mutations in the novel ALMS1 gene cause the disease. Alström syndrome is a rare inherited disease characterized by a multitude of symptoms, including childhood obesity, vision and hearing loss, diabetes, and heart, liver, and kidney failure. The Web site includes descriptions of Alström's clinical features and mode of inheritance, summaries of current Alström research, comprehensive and current lists of Alström research references and resources, guidelines for professionals who treat Alström patients, links to Alström conferences, and memorials of Alström patients.

Craniofacial Mutant Resource

The Craniofacial Resource aims to discover and characterize new craniofacial mouse mutations and to provide the scientific community with models for facial, dental, eye, ear and skull development research. New craniofacial deviants are identified from The Jackson Laboratory's bi-weekly Deviant Search. Before the mutants are included in the database, they are tested for heritability, characterized, and the chromosomal locations of the responsible mutant genes are mapped.

Hereditary Hearing Impairment in Mice website

The purpose of this website is to keep researchers informed about the latest discoveries in mouse-based research of human hearing disorders. Its contents include: 1) a description of and updated results from The Jackson Laboratory’s large scale screening program to identify mouse strains with inherited hearing disorders; 2) a table listing
mouse models of hearing disorders (includes the human and mouse genes, disorders, chromosomes, and references; 3) a table listing the auditory-evoked brainstem response (ABR) thresholds for scores of JAX® Mice; 4) the most recent publications that report cloning genes responsible for mouse and human hearing disorders; and 5) links to Internet resources of particular interest to scientists using mice in hearing research.

Eye Mutant Resource

This Web site lists and describes available JAX® Mice models for ocular research, describes and provides updated results of a Jackson Laboratory screening program to identify genes and new mutations that affect vision, lists the known mouse mutations that affect vision, and presents updated information on the cloning of vision-related genes.

Neural Tube Defect Resource

The Neural Tube Defect Resource, housed at The Jackson Laboratory and funded by an NICHD/NIH contract, maintains and distributes mouse models for neural tube defects. Mouse strain information is also available from the JAX® Mice Web site and from the Mouse Genome Informatics web site.

International Mouse Strain Resource (IMSR)

The IMSR is a searchable online database of mouse strains and stocks available worldwide, including inbred, mutant, and genetically engineered mice. The goal of the IMSR is to assist the international scientific community in locating and obtaining mouse resources. Currently, the IMSR contains strain data from JAX® Mice, the Mutant
Mouse Regional Resource Centers (MMRRC), the Center for Animal Resources and Development (CARD) in Japan, Neuromice.org, RIKEN BRC, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Mutant Mouse Database. Researchers can search for available strains by strain designation, strain status (e.g., live mice, cryopreserved embryos, sperm, ES cell lines, etc.), mutations carried by a strain, and chromosome. The database links to sites where strains are held, to sites providing information on specific strains and alleles, and to sites where strains can be ordered. Institutions and individuals who distribute either mice or cryopreserved embryos/gametes/ES cell lines are encouraged to participate by listing their stocks in the IMSR. A link to the IMSR Home Page can be found on the left hand side of most Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI, www.informatics.jax.org) Web pages. MGI allele detail pages now contain a link that automatically searches the IMSR for strains and stocks containing the featured allele's gene symbol.

Neuroscience Mutagenesis Facility

The Neuroscience Mutagenesis Facility of The Jackson Laboratory uses chemically induced mutagenesis to produce 20-30 new mouse models of human neurological disease every year.

Miscellaneous websites

The following are but a few of the many Web sites dedicated to neuroscience research. Others are cited in the brief descriptions of various neurological and neuromuscular diseases in the Mouse Models Section in this manual.

Neuromice.org

The purpose of neuromice.org is to establish, characterize, and distribute novel mutant mouse models of neurological diseases for the worldwide research community. Its goals are to increase genomic and genetic tools for functional gene identification, provide mice with mutations that alter either the nervous system or behavior, and build collaborations among geneticists and neuroscientists. Its Web site contains links to the Neuroscience Mutagenesis Facility at The Jackson Laboratory, the Neurogenomics Project at Northwestern University, and the Neuromutagenesis Project of the Tennessee Mouse Genome Consortium.

The Mouse Brain Library

Hosted by Nervenet.org and The Informatics Center for Mouse Neurogenetics, the purpose of the Mouse Brain Library (MBL) is to systematically map and characterize genes that modulate the architecture of the mammalian central nervous system. It contains high-resolution images and databases of brains from many genetically characterized strains of mice. Its features include:

    • iScope, an internet microscope providing online, realtime access to MBL slides
    • brain atlases, consisting of labeled high-resolution cross-sections of mouse brains
    • a tutorial that gives detailed instructions for creating a mouse brain atlas
    • a collection of high magnification electron micrographs of the mouse optic nerve suitable for quantitative comparative, and genetic analyses
    • details on how MBL processes, calibrates images, and makes brain data available online
    • movies consisting of series of brain images, microscope focus-through movies, and other movies in Quick Time format
    • links to Nervenet.org databases

Gene Expression Nervous System Atlas

Once it is available, the Gensat database will provide a genetic atlas of the mammalian brain, allowing researchers unprecedented access to central nervous system regions, cell classes, and pathways. It will be invaluable for studying degenerative and developmental diseases from Parkinson's and Huntington's to autism and epilepsy.

More websites