The animal core will provide the expertise and the technical assistance needed for the animal work involved in the single projects proposed in the in this Program Research Grant. The core will have a technician trained in animal research, and will provide space and supply involved in small rodent surgery procedures. The core facility will be equipped to function at biosafety level 2/3 according NIH guidelines, and will have storage space to house animal used in procedures involving biohazard agents. In addition the core will establish a colony of expensive animal such as cotton rats or not available such as transgenic cystic fibrosis mice.