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Other Genetic Stock Centers

This was adapted from the 'Organisms and Strains' page at Indiana University (now located at U. Texas) .

General

• ATCC: The American Type Culture Collection
The American Type Culture Collection is a private, non-profit organization located in Rockville, Maryland. Presently the following collections are searchable: bacteria and bacteriophages (15,000 strains); cell cultures (3,000); protozoa and algae (1,200); animal and plant viruses (2,500); and recombinant material.All of these keywords are searchable via gopher. Many of the media formulations are also available.
• GRIN: Germplasm Resource Information Network
Within a few years a great deal of information about germplasms of microbial, insect, animal, and plant will be available through GRIN. At the present, only plant information is available (and this does not include information about forest trees). Included in the plant databank are the most economically important plants that occur in the U.S. Specific information that is provided includes origin, cultivar name, donor information, and taxonomic classification. Key traits of specific cultivars. including morphology, resistance to disease and insects tolerance to environmental stress, and quality data are also available in many cases.
• World Data Centre for Microorganisms (WDCM)
World Data Centre for Microorganisms (WDCM) provides a comprehensive directory of culture collecions, databases on microbes and cell lines, and the gateway to biodiversity, molecular biology and genome projects. The WDC was originally located in Australia and is now based at RIKEN (Institute of Physical and Chemical Research), Saitama, Japan. The World Directory is a catalogue of over 500 culture collections from over 55 countries. Note that it does not collect or provide cultures, nor does it give you any information about the cultures; it only tells you which collections contain which cultures.
Searching this database via WWW is a two step process. First you search a 'strain' database (bacteria, fungi, or yeasts; the algae database is not completed yet) for the name of the organism that you are interested in (e.g. "Saccharomyces steineri"). This will retrieve a list containing WDC registration number (e.g. WDC169). Then search the "CCInfo" database by entering this registration number. This will retrieve the contact information for the collection that has the culture for which you searched.

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Eukaryotes

Plant

• Nottingham Arabidopsis Stock Centre
The Nottingham Arabidopsis Stock Centre (NASC) provides seed and information resources to the International Arabidopsis Genome Programme and the wider research community. It was established in April 1991 as part of the Plant Molecular Biology initiative of the Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC). It is based in the Plant Science Division of the School of Biosciences at the University of Nottingham, UK. The Centre is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the EU and the University of Nottingham.
• Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center Stocks (ABRC)
The Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center (ABRC) at The Ohio State University provides the following services to the Arabdopsis community: 1) collection, preservation and distribution of seeds, 2) DNA clone, library storage and distribution, and 3) data for all stocks and other information. These data are provided through and in collaboration with the TAIR database.
• C. M. Rick Tomato Genetics Resource Center (TGRC)
The C.M. Rick Tomato Genetic Resources Center (TGRC) is a genebank of wild relatives, monogenic mutants and miscellaneous genetic stocks of tomato. The wild species group (1,010 accessions) includes representatives of all nine Lycopersicon species, as well as 4 related Solanum species. The monogenic mutants (880 accessions) include spontaneous and induced mutations affecting all aspects of plant development, introgressed disease resistance genes, and protein marker stocks. The miscellaneous group (1,005 accessions) includes linkage tester stocks (multiple markers on a single chromosome), trisomics, translocations, Latin American varieties, and various types of interspecific prebreds (alien addition or substitution lines, introgressed quantitative traits, etc).
The collection was founded by Dr. Charles Rick in the Dept. of Vegetable Crops, University of California at Davis, who collected many of the wild species accessions in South America, and whose research program produced many of the marker and cytogenetic stocks. A large assembly of monogenic induced mutations was donated by the late Dr. Hans Stubbe (Gatersleben, Germany), Dr. Miguel Holle (CIP, Peru) made important wild species collections, and many other researchers worldwide have contributed germplasm.
• Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative (CGC)
CGC was founded by Warren Henderson and Dick Lower (North Carolina State University) and Dick Robinson (Cornell University) in 1977. To assist with the preservation of single locus mutants in the major crop species, Gene Curators were appointed in 1986 for cucumber, melon, Cucurbita, and watermelon. In 1989, multiple curators were appointed for each major crop species to provide redundancy and security to the gene collections, one of which had been partially destroyed due to a fire in a seed storage facility.
• Chlamydomonas Genetics Center
The Chlamydomonas Genetics Center is an NSF-sponsored project that serves as a central repository to receive, catalogue, preserve and distribute stocks of nuclear and chloroplast mutants of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and other Chlamydomonas species in which extensive genetic analysis has been done. The Center also maintains and distributes genomic and cDNA clones of Chlamydomonas nuclear, chloroplast and mitochondrial genes.
For more information contact Elizabeth H. Harris at : chlamy@acpub.duke.edu
• Holdings in The National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS)
Information about the holdings and the different germplasm repositories that are a part of NPGS.
• Rice Genetic Resources Stock Center (Japan)
This laboratory is responsible for the germ plasm preservation of rice. As a result of extensive collections in tropical countries and generous donations from numerous sources since 1957, the size of the rice collection is 10,749 accessions of wild relatives in addition to two cultivated species, genetic testers and mutants. The collection has been used for studies of genetics and evolution by many scientists in different countries.
• Genetic Stocks - Oryza (GSOR) Collection (USA)
In August, 2003, the Genetic Stocks - Oryza (GSOR) Collection was established at the USDA-ARS Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center, at Stuttgart, AR; to develop and maintain a collection of rice genetic seed stocks which are available to enhance the research of rice scientists. Freely store and distribute rice seed stocks, both conventional and transgenic, and provide meticulous record keeping management through the Germplasm Resource Information Network (GRIN).
• Barley and Wheat Genetic Stocks Collections
Barley genetic stocks that were previously stored at Colorado State University (CSU) and at the USDA-ARS National Seed Storage Laboratory (NSSL), Fort Collins, CO, were transferred to the USDA-ARS National Small Grains Germplasm Research Facility (NSGGRF) at Aberdeen, ID in 1994. Barley aneuploids in this stock include: various primary trisomics, telotrisomics, and acrotrisomics. Seeds from the world collection of desynaptic mutants originated from Dr. R.T. Ramage, are also maintained in Aberdeen.
Part of the E.R. Sears Wheat Genetic Stocks Collection has been transferred to the USDA-ARS National Small Grains Germplasm Research Facility (NSGGRF) in Aberdeen, Idaho. These stocks consist of various aneuploids of 'Chinese Spring' wheat, including: monosomic, trisomic, tetrasomic, nullisomic-tetrasomic, ditelosomic, double monotelosomic, double monoisosomic, di-monotelosomic, monotelodisomic, double ditelosomic, and various addition, substitution and translocation lines.
• Wheat Genetic and Genomic Resource Center
The Wheat Genetic and Genomic Resources Center is located at Kansas State University. The WGGRC has three main missions:
1) collect, conserve, and utilize germplasm in crop improvement for sustainable production by broadening the crop genetic base, 2) create and promote the free exchange of materials, technology, and new knowledge in genetics and biotechnology among the world's public and private organizations, and 3) sponsor graduate and postgraduate students and visiting scientists for academic training and advanced research in the WGGRC laboratories.
The WGGRC maintains a gene bank, along with evaluation and passport data, on 2,500 wheat species accessions. In addition, the WGGRC houses 2,200 cytogenetic stocks, the genetic treasures produced by a lifetime of work by wheat scientists. The WGGRC has established a national and international network to conduct and coordinate genetic studies in wheat. Genes for host-plant resistance to viral, bacterial, fungal, and insect pests and abiotic stresses are identified, transferred to agronomically useful breeding lines, and deployed. The genetic bases of physiological, quality, and yield traits are studied. Chromosome and genetic maps of wheat and other Triticeae genera are developed. Biotechnological research emphasizes diagnostic assays, gene cloning, and plant transformation.
• The G.A. Marx Pea Genetic Stock Center
This collection of genetic stocks of Pisum sativum is the legacy of the late Dr. Gerald A. Marx, formerly of Cornell University. Throughout his career, Dr. Marx amassed some 80,000 seed packets, most of which have genotype data and other comments written on them. Dr. Marx, along with several other pea geneticists, extracted the accessions of his collection that best demonstrate mutations in this species, and the interaction of these mutations. This collection is now part of the National Plant Germplasm System and located in Pullman, Washington.
• The Phaseolus Genetic Stock Collection
This collection of genetic stocks of Phaseolus vulgaris has been created to emphasize the genetic analyses and studies of common bean. This collection is now part of the National Plant Germplasm System and located in Pullman, Washington.
• Wisconsin Fast Plants Program (Crucifer Genetics Cooperative)
The Rapid Cycling Brassica Collection, RCBC, was establisheded in 1982 by Paul Williams. Initially known as the Crucifer Genetics Cooperative (CrGC) the collection now resides under the Wisconsin Fast Plants Program website. This collection was established to develop, acquire, maintain and distribute information about various genetic stocks of rapid-cycling Brassica  and Raphanus  species as well as Crucifer-specific pathogens. For information, please email the Wisconsin Fast Plants Program at info@fastplants.org.
• Russia KRISP (The N.I.Vavilov Institute's Information System on Russian Plant Genetic Resources)
The N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry is the only research institution in Russia whose activities include plant genetics resources (PGR) collection, conservation and study. This Institute, its accomplishments, and role in maintaining the global ex situ collection are well known world-wide. Its global PGR collection represents plant diversity encompassing 320,000 accessions of 155 botanical families, 2,532 species of 425 genera. For instance, the collection harbours 95,000 accessions of grain crops (including 14,400 maize accessions), over 43,000 of legumes, 52,000 of groat crops, 26,000 of industrial crops, 28,000 of fodder crops, about 10,000 of potato, and 50,000 of vegetables. VIR also maintains a herbarium of 260,000 specimens.

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Animal

• Caenorhabditis Genetics Center (CGC)
The CGC acquires, maintains and distributes genetic stocks of Caenorhabditis elegans for use by investigators initiating or continuing research on this nematode. The CGC's collection of more than 2000 strains includes one allele of each mapped gene, all available chromosome rearrangements, and selected multiply mutant stocks for genetic mapping. Requests for strains should include a brief statement of the research or training activity for which the stocks are intended. Recipients are asked to acknowledge the CGC, which is supported by NIH's National Center for Research Resources, in publications resulting from use of the strains and to provide the CGC with reprints of those publications. The CGC also provides information about C. elegans, largely through the publication and distribution of a newsletter, the Worm Breeder's Gazette.
• Drosophila Stock Center (Bloomingtom, IN)
  
The Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center (BDSC) at Indiana University:
• Collects, maintains and distributes Drosophila melanogaster strains for research.
• Stock lists of the Genetic and Species stock centers and from some individual labs.
• Is associated with FlyBase.
  
• German Cockroach Genetic Stock Center
The Virginia Tech Department of Entomology is an internationally recognized leader in research on the German cockroach. A long term commitment to developing a formal genetics of this insect, along with research on its biology, cytogenetics, behavior and insecticide resistance, has resulted in the establishment of a Genetic Stock Center.
The stocks are a resource unique to Virginia Tech. They constitute the only formal genetics for a hemimetabolous insect. Also, they are needed to detect, understand, and utilize genetic variation in order to devise optimum control strategies, as well as in research on the genetics of insecticide resistance and other traits important to cockroach pest management.
• Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center (XGSC)
The Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center provides fish from more than 70 genetic strains to scientists and aquarists around the world. Scientists in more than 30 laboratories in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Germany work on Xiphophorus (platyfish and swordtails) genetics and depend on strains available from the stock center. In addition to supplying strains and consultation on husbandry and genetic questions, the stock center makes custom hybrids for a variety of projects, producing hundreds of such fish each year at very affordable costs. Unlike most mammals, where fertile hybrids between species are difficult or often impossible to produce, Xiphophorus hybrids are almost always fertile and are extremely valuable for their genetic variability and their very specific susceptibilities for many different cancers. Extensive use of these hybrids for gene mapping has made the Xiphophorus gene map the fifth largest among vertebrates, exceeded only by maps of man, mouse, rat, and cow in numbers of genes assigned.
• Zebrafish International Resource Center
The Zebrafish International Resource Center is housed on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene. Its mission is to provide a central repository for wild-type and mutant strains of zebrafish (Danio rerio) and for materials and information about zebrafish research. Materials and zebrafish strains are distributed to the research community. Pathology services are provided for diseased fish. Standards and procedures for maintaining healthy strains of zebrafish are being developed and a manual for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases affecting zebrafish is being prepared.
• Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center, University of Kentucky
The Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center is a self-sustaining, breeding colony of the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) supported by the National Science Foundation as a Living Stock Collection under the Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) and located in the Department of Biology at the University of Kentucky. The AGSC is a genetic stock center dedicated to the supply of genetically well-characterized axolotl embryos, larvae, and adults to laboratories and classrooms throughout the United States and abroad.
Our mission is to serve biology research programs and educators by providing experimental material and expertise and by encouraging and facilitating the exchange of information and ideas.
• Jackson Laboratory
The Jackson Labs provides ordering and other information about their mice lines. Founded in 1929, The Jackson Laboratory has a threefold mission: to conduct research in basic genetics and the role of genes in health and disease; to educate the scientific community; and to provide genetically defined mice and other genetic resources to the world.
• Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center
The deer mouse colony at the University of South Carolina has been designated a genetic stock center under a grant from the Special Projects Program of the National Science Foundation. The major function of the Stock Center is to provide genetically characterized types of Peromyscus in limited quantities to scientific investigators. Continuation of the center is dependent upon significant external utilization, therefore potential users are encouraged to take advantage of this resource. Sufficient animals of the mutant types generally can be provided to initiate a breeding stock. Somewhat larger numbers, up to about 50 animals, can be provided from the wild-type stocks.
• NIGMS Human Genetic Mutant Cell Repository
By providing the resources for human genome research, the HUMAN GENETIC MUTANT CELL REPOSITORY, sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), supplies scientists with the materials for accelerating disease gene discovery. The resources available include highly-characterized, viable, and contaminant-free cell cultures and high quality, well-characterized DNA samples derived from these cultures.
• Interlab Project
The Cell Line Data Base provides information on about 3,000 human and animal cell lines from repositories throughout Europe. Also available is the Molecular Probe Data Base, which lists around 3,000 synthetic oligonucleotides primarily related to human diagnostics.
• ECACC: European Collection of Animal Cell Cultures
The ECACC was established in 1984. The collection presently includes the following: general collection of hybridoma and immunoclones (1,500 lines); European human cell bank (derived from patiens with genetic abnormalities - 10,000 lines); probes against human X and Y chromosomes, viruses, and oncogenes (300); and "quality control", which includes bacteria, fungi, and mycoplasma tasting, isoenzyme analysis, and DNA fingerprinting.

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Fungal and other protists

• Fungal Genetics Stock Center (FGSC)
FGSC contains databases for Aspergillus, Fusarium, Neurospora crassa, Neurospora sitophila, Neurospora tetrasperma as well as other species of Neurospora and related genera. Also present are individual plasmids (N. crassa and A. nidulans), A. nidulans gene libraries and N. crassa gene libraries. The site also contains a list of genes isolated from Aspergillus and Neurospora. Finally, reprints from the Fungal Genetics Newsletter are available.
• Yeast Genetic Stock Center (ATCC)
The Yeast Genetic Stock Center (YGSC), established in 1960 at the University of California-Berkeley by Dr. Robert K. Mortimer, moved to ATCC in 1998. Composed of approximately 1,200 strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the YGSC is the only cataloged collection in the world that exclusively maintains genetically marked S. cerevisiae stocks.
ATCC also offers deletion strains that are being generated by the Saccharomyces Genome Deletion Project, a consortium of investigators. These strains, which make up the CYDAC product line, will eventually form a complete set of yeast deletion mutants that will facilitate the functional analysis of each gene in the genome.
• Dictyostelium Stock Center
The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum has many behaviors that are fundamental to all living cells. In order to make research more efficient, an investment in infrastructural activities would be helpful. There is already a serious effort to improve the resources available to workers in the field. The genome is being sequenced in Jena, Houston, and Cambridge, and full-length cDNAs derived from various stages of growth and development are being prepared in Tsukuba. Groups in Houston and in San Diego are preparing chips to study the induction of transcripts in the wild-type and various mutants. Although there has been investment, and the benefits of this infrastructure development are already substantial, several facilities would increase the efficiency of all laboratories working with this organism. One of these is a more developed Web site, and a second is a stock center where wild-type strains, thousands of knockout mutants, transformants that overexpress genes, and useful plasmids could be preserved, tested, and distributed.

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Prokaryote

• E. coli Genetic Stock Center (CGSC)
The E. coli Genetic Stock Center (CGSC) at Yale includes information about strains, mutations, genes,and references. The CGSC Collection consists primarily of genetic derivatives of E. coli K-12, the non-pathogenic laboratory strain used in genetic and molecular studies, and includes combinations of 2-29 mutations from among 3500 mutations in (or included in deletions spanning) more than 1300 different loci. Some plasmids, including the Clarke and Carbon collection and F-primes, are included, but it is not a comprehensive collection of plasmids. The CGSC Database of E.coli genetic information includes genotypes and reference information for the strains in the CGSC collection, gene names, properties, and linkage map, gene product information, and information on specific mutations.
• Salmonella Genetic Stock Centre (SGSC)
The SGSC maintains stocks of Salmonella. The largest numbers of strains (several thousand) are mutants of S. typhimurium LT2. The SGSC is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Strains are provided without charge to researchers at non-profit research establishments and universities; there is a charge for workers at commercial laboratories.
• Pseudomonas Genetic Stock Center
This is a collection of strains derived from the prototrophic Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1. Originally created and housed at Monash University in Victoria, Australia, selected strains from this collection have been transferred to the Biotechnology Program at the East Carolina University School of Medicine in Greenville, North Carolina, USA. The collections founder, Dr. Bruce Holloway at Monash University, and its new holder, Dr. Paul V. Phibbs at East Carolina University, have overseen this transition.
• Bacillus Genetic Stock Center (BGSC)
The primary mission of the Bacillus Genetic Stock Center (BGSC) is to maintain genetically characterized strains, cloning vectors, and bacteriophage for the genus Bacillus and related organisms and to distribute these materials without prejudice to qualified scientists and educators throughout the world. Since 1978, the National Science Foundation has funded the activities of the BGSC. The Department of Biochemistry in the College of Biological Sciences at The Ohio State University provides facilities and administrative support. The Director of the BGSC is Dr. Daniel R. Zeigler. Cultures are available in reasonable quantities. For profit users may pay a $60 per culture fee or may subscribe to a yearly service plan for $1000. Academic and non-profit users are asked to make a voluntary payment of $100 per year. No academic scientist will be turned away, even if he or she lacks funds.

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