Project Summary / Abstract – Core F. Microbiome Core The Microbiome Core will provide analytical tools to investigators to permit determination of the structure of the microbiome in mouse models of disease. In addition, the Microbiome Core will provide assistance in the cultivation of microbes that will permit hypothesis testing in murine models including the germfree animals that are available in the Animal Phenotyping Core. In addition to providing instrumental infrastructure, the Core staff will provide consultation and collaboration to apply microbiome analysis in mouse models of disease. The Microbiome Core will optimize efficiency and cost-effectiveness by providing these services to investigators through a central laboratory. This avoids the need for individual investigators to purchase and maintain high price instrumentation in their own laboratories and avoids the high cost of commercial analytical services. In the past 6 years we have standardized and implemented several analytical techniques for the analysis of microbial communities in a culture-independent manner, leveraging advances in high through nucleic acid sequencing. We are particularly interested in addressing three areas of need: first, applying culture- independent techniques to study the structure and dynamics of complex microbial communities; second, utilizing advanced techniques in microbial cultivation to permit hypothesis testing and understanding the role of bacterial metabolism; and three, providing training for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with an interest in utilizing microbiome analysis in their research. By centralizing and standardizing procedures, the Core provides a common set of analytical tools that will lead to a unified understanding of molecular mechanisms by which microbes and communities of microbes can contribute to health and disease.