Mouse Surgery Protocol ( Click to Download )

A. Gamma-irradiation will be administered at the dose rate of 400 Rads/minute using ¹³⁷Cs source located in Room 112 of Paige laboratory. Total whole body doses will not exceed 500 Rad. This will be accomplished by placing single mice in a cardboard box (10 cm x 5 cm x 4 cm) that provides ample ventilation. The box is placed into the irradiator for <75 seconds to achieve the desired dose. Mice will be sacrificed within 24 hours and tissues used for biochemical and histological analyses.

B. The doses are sublethal and result in no acute or chronic effects on the mice (Storer, J.B. 1975. Acute Responses to Ionizing Radiation. In: Biology of the Laboratory Mouse, 2nd Edition, pp429-433.) Any discomfort should be minimal as the animals will be maintained <48 hours following exposure to radiation.