Core C will utilize the equipment and staff of the existing BRI Histology and Flow Cytometry Cores to provide histological processing, photomicrography, and flow cytometry services for the four Projects described in this proposal. For histology. Core C will provide high-throughput equipment for tissue processing, embedding, sectioning, and staining with conventional dyes, antibodies, and nucleic acid probes. For photomicrography, Core C will provide one confocal microscope and five digital camera-equipped conventional microscopes with complementary imaging capabilities. For flow cytometry, Core C will incorporate a variety of multifeatured cell sorting instruments. With regard to human resources, Core C will have experienced staff who will provide Project personnel with a full range of histological prep, consultation, and instrument training services

The histology, photomicrography, and flow cytometry services provided by Core C will be essential to all four Projects. Histological processing and photomicrography will be necessary to evaluate the responses of lungs to viral and bacterial infection and to TSLP-induced inflammation according to the following parameters: (1) fibrosis and other pathology, (2) expression of specific extracellular matrix components and matrix metalloproteinases, and (3) lymphocyte/macrophage trafficking. Flow cytometry services will be used extensively by Projects 2 and 4 to sort immune cell populations for phenotypic analyses and for adoptive transfer experiments.