Quality control

You can find below the standard quality control provided by INFRAFRONTIER/EMMA for community deposited strains, EUCOMM/KOMP-CSD and CRISPR/Cas9 mice. However, specific lines may be mantained at a slightly different quality control level. The quality control level applied to each strain is explained in the automated confirmation e-mail sent to the users upon completion of their request online individually.

We always appreciate feedback regarding EMMA strains and services and are interested in receiving information about new phenotypes that may be observed by users. However, we ask recipients to perform the recommended quality controls within 6 months after receipt of material from EMMA.

Strains deposited by individual scientists from the research community

INFRAFRONTIER/EMMA provides the following quality control for community deposited lines:

  • Viability test on cryopreserved material, according to the standard methods of the archiving centre.
  • Genotyping assay (where applicable and following protocol(s) provided by the mouse depositor) to identify carriers of the specific mutation(s) displayed on the EMMA strain list.
  • Health screening following FELASA recommendations and facility standard operating procedures. 

The following information is not verified by INFRAFRONTIER/EMMA.  It is displayed as received from the depositor and needs to be checked by the end user:

  • Validation of targeting strategy, vector design, integration etc.
  • Any other genotypic (e.g. targeted exons, copy numbers) or phenotypic data.
  • Breeding performance (although we might be able to provide data for some strains upon request).
  • Genetic background of the strain.

EUCOMM/KOMP strains

Please note that for EUCOMM and KOMP-CSD mice supplied to the scientific community by INFRAFRONTIER/EMMA:

  1. We cannot guarantee a null mutation for Knock-out first alleles (tm1a alleles, see  http://www.mousephenotype.org/about-ikmc/targeting-strategies) as the critical exon has not been deleted.

  2. That the structure of the targeted mutation in the ES cells obtained from EUCOMM/KOMP to generate EUCOMM/KOMP mice is not verified by INFRAFRONTIER/EMMA. It is recommended that the recipient confirms the mutation structure.

  3. No check for determining the copy number of the targeting construct in ES cells obtained from EUCOMM/KOMP is done by INFRAFRONTIER/EMMA.

  4. The level of quality control before mice are released is to confirm the individual mouse genotype by short range PCR.

CRISPR/Cas9 strains

INFRAFRONTIER/EMMA provides the following quality control for lines generated by use of the CRISPR technology: 

  • Viability test on cryopreserved material, according to the standard methods of the archiving centre.
  • Genotyping assay (where applicable and following protocol(s) provided by the mouse depositor) to identify carriers of the specific mutation(s) displayed on the EMMA strain list.
  • Health screening following FELASA recommendations and facility standard operating procedures. 

The following information is not verified by INFRAFRONTIER/EMMA.  It is displayed as received from the depositor and needs to be checked by the end user:

  • Validation of targeting strategy, vector design, integration etc.
  • Analysis of the off-target mutations
  • Validation of transcription and translation products for the gene the mutated mouse line was produced for. It is recommended to look for unexpected splicing events.
  • Any other genotypic (e.g. targeted exons, copy numbers) or phenotypic data.
  • Breeding performance (although we might be able to provide data for some strains upon request).
  • Genetic background of the strain.
  • Quality control perfomed by the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC), if applicable:  www.gentar.org  
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