Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center

APPLIED RESEARCH COMPONENT - PROJECT SUMMARY This component addresses the significance and need to generate new assays and approaches for disease monitoring within the AGSC and beyond, and the need to generate and centralize information for diagnosing and treating axolotl diseases. Next generation 16S rRNA sequencing will be performed to increase breadth of pathogen monitoring and generate baseline microbial data in support of microbiome research, both of which will better ensure the health and reproducibility of AGSC axolotl lines. Additionally, an axolotl disease manual will be developed to provide a reference that axolotl labs can use to monitor pathogens and diagnose common axolotl diseases. The manual will include protocols, assays, and treatments curated from the literature and developed in house. Accomplishment of this sub aim will provide an essential resource for characterizing lesions in diseased and genetically modified axolotls that serve as models of human disease.