title: The mouse resources at the RIKEN BioResource center.
abstract: Mice are one of the most important model organisms for studying biological phenomena and diseases processes in life sciences. The biomedical research community has succeeded in launching large scale strategic knockout mouse projects around the world. RIKEN BRC, a comprehensive government funded biological resource center was established in 2001. RIKEN BRC has been acting as the core facility for the mouse resources of the National BioResource Project (NBRP) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan since 2002. RIKEN BRC is a founding member of the Federation of International Mouse Resources (FIMRe) together with the Jackson Laboratory, the European Mouse Mutant Archive, and other centers, and has participated in the International Mouse Strain Resource (IMSR) to distribute mouse strains worldwide. With the support of the scientific community, RIKEN BRC has collected over 3,800 strains including inbred, transgenic, knockout, wild-derived, and ENU-induced mutant strains. Excellent mouse models for human diseases and gene functions from academic organizations and private companies are distributed through RIKEN BRC. To meet research and social needs, our mice will be rederived to a specific pathogen-free state, strictly monitored for their health, and accurately tested for their genetic modifications and backgrounds. Users can easily access our mouse resources through the internet and obtain the mouse strains for a minimal fee. Cryopreservation of embryos and sperm is used for efficient preservation of the increasing number of mouse resources. RIKEN BRC collaborates with FIMRe members to support Japanese scientists in the use of valuable mouse resources from around the world.
authors.affiliation: RIKEN BioResource Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshiki
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ike
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mekada
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitaura
authors.forename: Hatsumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakata
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hiraiwa
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mochida
authors.forename: Maiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ijuin
authors.forename: Masayo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kadota
authors.forename: Ayumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Atsuo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ogura
authors.forename: Kuniya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moriwaki
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Obata
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D016678:Genome; D006078:Government Programs; D006801:Humans; D007253:Information Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007391:International Cooperation; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains / Q000235:genetics*; D012106:Research