

Other Genetic Stock Centers
This was adapted from the 'Organisms and Strains' page compiled by
David Jourdan
Eukaryotes
Plant
- Collections
in the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS)
- Information about the holdings and the different germplasm
repositories that are a part of NPGS.
NPGS is a cooperative effort by public (US Federal and State)
and private organizations to preserve the genetic diversity of plants. The Maize Genetics
Cooperation Stock Center is part of NPGS, as are some of the other plant genetic stock
centers listed here.
- Genetic
Stocks - Oryza (GSOR) Collection (NPGS, 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. The GSOR program is
responsible for storing, maintaining, documenting, and distributing
(free of charge) these materials to the scientific community for use in
genetic and genomic research.
- Rice
Genetic Resources Stock Center (Japan)
- This laboratory is responsible for the germplasm 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 now over 12,000 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.
- Barley
and Wheat Genetic Stocks Collections (NPGS, USA)
- 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 collection include: various primary
trisomics, telotrisomics, and acrotrisomics. Seeds from the world
collection of desynaptic mutants from Dr. R.T. Ramage and the Oregon Wolfe Barley
Genetic Stocks from Dr. P. Hayes, are also now 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 (KSU, USA)
- 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.
- Wheat Precise Genetic Stocks
(JIC, UK)
- The wheat precise genetic stocks, developed and maintained within the
Genetic
Resources Unit of the John Innes Centre, constists of
aneuploids, alien introductions, and intervarietal substitutions. Advice on stock
avaiability and their use is available through Steve
Reader of the Crop Genetics Department of the John Innes Centre.
- 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 consists of genetic markers, chromosome translocations,
and the Lamprecht stocks. It is now part of the National Plant Germplasm System
and located in Pullman, Washington.
- 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. This collection is now part of the National Plant Germplasm System.
- 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.
- Arabidopsis
Biological Resource Center Stocks (USA)
- The Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center (ABRC) at The Ohio
State University provides the following services to the Arabidopsis
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.
ABRC distributes seeds upon request to North America and other locations outside of
Europe.
- Nottingham Arabidopsis
Stock Centre (UK)
- 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. NASC distributes seeds upon
request to Europe and other locations outside of North America.
- Wisconsin Fast Plants Program
(Crucifer Genetics Cooperative)
- The Rapid Cycling Brassica Collection, RCBC, was established 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.
- International Moss Stock Center
- The International Moss Stock Center which is located in Freiburg, Germany and managed by the
Centre for Biological Signalling Studies (bioss)
of the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg collects, preserves
and distributes moss mutants, transgenic lines and ecotypes.
- 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.
- The N.I. Vavilov Institute Plant Genetic Resources
(VIR)
- 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.
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
(Bloomington, 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.
- Ascidian Stock Center
-
Ascidians are an emerging model system for the study of embryology, gene regulatory networks,
chordate evolution and comparative physiology. Ascidians have great potential as a model system,
but they present unique experimental challenges. One of the limitations of ascidians
as an experimental model is the dependence of most of the ascidian community on wild-caught
animals. The Smith lab has established an ascidian culturing facility at the marine
laboratory of the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) in order to provide a
supplemental source of Ciona (C. intestinalis and C. savignyi)
adults for research laboratories. In collaboration with the laboratory of Michael Levine at
UC Berkeley , we are generating a set of stable transgenic animals that carry tissue-specific
fluorescent proteins.
- 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
- 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.
- Mouse Mutant Stocks (Jackson Laboratory)
- The Jackson Lab 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. The Mouse Mutant Resource
(MMR) is the primary repository at the Jackson Laboratory of strains and stocks carrying
spontaneous genetic mutations. Jackson Lab also maintains an
International Mouse Strain Resource
(IMSR) that would enable one to find mutant mouse strains from other
repositories
world-wide.
- Mutant Mouse Research and Resource Centers (MMRRC)
- The MMRRC distributes and cryopreserves scientifically valuable, genetically
engineered mouse strains and mouse ES cell lines with potential value for the genetics
and biomedical research community. We are a national network of breeding and distribution
facilities plus an information coordinating center serving together as NIH's premier
repository of spontaneous and induced mutant mouse and cell lines. The MMRRC is supported
by the National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health.
Strains of mice are maintained in a cryopreserved state unless demand warrants that a
live colony be established. Live mice are supplied from a production colony, from a
colony recovered from cryopreservation, or via micro-injection of a cell line into
host blastocysts. At its option, an MMRRC facility may offer cryopreserved material for
resuscitation at the recipient scientist's institution.
- 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 patients 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.
Fungal, algal 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 Resource Center (YGRC) (National BioResource Project - Yeast)
- 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, but although they still maintain some yeast
strains, the collection is no longer intact there. Composed of approximately 1,200 strains
of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the YGSC was the only cataloged collection
in the world that exclusively maintains genetically marked S. cerevisiae stocks.
- The YGRC presently maintains over 4,800 S. pombe strains and over 9,000 S. cerevisiae strains.
- Chlamydomonas Library Project (CLiP)
- This website provides access to a collection of mutant strains in the green alga
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a powerful model system for studying a broad range of
fundamental processes including the biology of chloroplasts, photosynthesis, cilia/flagella,
eyespots, and algal lipid accumulation. The strains were generated by the Chlamydomonas
Library Project (CLiP). Molecular details for each strain or each insertion are included.
Strains found on this site can be ordered from the Chlamydomonas Resource Center located
at the University of Minnesota.
- Tetrahymena Stock Center
- The national Tetrahymena Stock Center (TSC), located at Cornell University, is a
centralized repository and distribution site for a variety of Tetrahymena strains and
species. TSC maintains a diverse array of a wild type, mutant, and genetically engineered
strains of T. thermophila, the most commonly used laboratory species, and a variety of
other species derived from both laboratory maintained stocks and wild isolates. All stocks
are stored in liquid nitrogen to maintain genetic integrity and prevent senescence. In addition
to providing worldwide access to strains currently in the collection, TSC continually
upgrades the collection by accepting deposition of newly developed laboratory strains
and well-characterized wild isolates collected from clearly defined natural sites.
- Dictyostelium
Stock Center
- The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum has many
behaviors that are fundamental to all living cells. In the fall of 2002 the Dicty Stock Center was
started as a repository for Dictyostelium discoideum and other cellular slime molds.
The strains available from the stock center are in the strain catalog on our website.
Additionally, we have a rapidly expanding plasmid collection, the catalog of which can be accessed
though the website. We plan to collect and make available all strains and mutants published in the
scientific literature.
- The National Tetrahymena Stock Center, located at Cornell
University, is a centralized repository and distribution site for a variety of wild type,
mutant, and genetically engineered strains developed by the Tetrahymena research
community. The Stock Center accepts deposition of scientifically useful strains, and provides
worldwide access to all of the strains in the collection.
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. Department of Microbiology in the
College of Arts and Sciences at The Ohio State University provides facilities and
administrative support. The Director of the BGSC is Dr. Daniel R. Zeigler.
General
- FASEB:
Database of US Providers of Research Organisms
- Living organisms, germplasm, tissue, and related biological products are essential
for biomedical and life science research. Stock centers, living collections, and other
providers offer scientists access to organisms for studies aimed at improving the health
of humans, animals, and ecosystems. This FASEB database is intended to help investigators
identify providers located in the US, spanning the academic, nonprofit, government, and
commercial sectors. Please contact us if you are
a provider and wish to be added to the database or to update your entry.
- 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. Many of the media formulations are also available.
- GRIN: Germplasm Resource
Information Network
- A great deal of information about germplasms of microbial, insect, animal, and plant is
available through the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). This program
is within the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, National Genetic
Resources Program (NGRP). It is the NGRP's responsibility to: acquire, characterize, preserve,
document, and distribute to scientists, germplasm of all life-forms important for food and
agricultural production. 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.
- WDCM: World Data Centre for
Microorganisms
- World Data Centre for Microorganisms (WDCM) provides a
comprehensive directory of culture collections, 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 more than 500 culture collections from over 60 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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