Acquisition of a High Capacity Genotyping Facility for Diverse Biological Applications

在Paul Keim博士的指导下，北亚利桑那大学获得了一笔赠款，用于购买高容量、高分辨率DNA基因分型和测序设施的核心仪器。遗传和基因组分析的力量已经在人类和一些选定的模式基因组中得到了很好的证明，但如果这种技术随时可用，许多其他不同的生物物种和问题将同样受益。北亚利桑那大学的研究人员涉及各种遗传和基因组问题，需要一种最先进的、高容量的DNA分析设备。这些仪器将能够进行中等规模的DNA测序(例如，较小的细菌基因组或跨多个样本的单个基因座)，但更重要的是，它们将通过PCR片段大小调整(即DNA指纹)提供高容量的基因分析。自动荧光检测DNA测序仪将用于确定与微卫星座位相关的PCR片段的大小，检测SNPs，执行AFLP和DNA测序。中等规模的DNA测序能力对于通过靶向基因测序或小基因组/质粒序列确定的分子系统学具有重要价值。目前的赠款将导致建立环境基因组学和遗传学多用户设施(EnGGEN)。EnGGEN将成为一个大学和地区性资源中心，为来自地区性学术、政府和私人机构的不同用户群提供分子遗传分析和培训。已经投入该设施的用户正在研究植物进化、生态群落遗传学、保护遗传学、微生物多样性和分子流行病学。EnGGEN将为梅里亚姆·鲍威尔环境研究中心(MPCER)和梅里亚姆-鲍威尔研究站提供补充设施，这两个中心的任务是支持和促进环境科学家、土地管理者以及公共和私营部门的教育工作者之间的合作。他们的不同成员将提供我们建议的环境遗传学设施的即时使用，并促进广泛的研究社区的使用。为了在整个大学和地区研究社区(例如，森林管理局、国家公园管理局、美国地质调查局)促进这一设施的使用，我们制定了一项研讨会、课程作业、动手实验室使用和奖学金机会的计划。这将有助于招募由于缺乏熟悉度和/或设施而通常不会在其研究中使用遗传学或基因组分析的科学家。我们还将通过为研究生、本科生和K-12学生举办工作坊、实验室课程和研讨会来支持大学课程活动。北卡罗来纳大学有一个文化丰富的学生群体，主要代表了42个美洲原住民部落和拉美裔美国人。我们将通过就地项目指导这些学生，包括NSF赞助的环境生物学大学辅导(UMEB)拨款和以本科生研究为目标的NAU资助计划。

A grant has been awarded to Northern Arizona University under the direction of Dr. Paul Keim to purchase core instrumentation for a high-capacity, high-resolution DNA genotyping and sequencing facility. The power of genetic and genomic analysis has been well demonstrated in the human and a few selected model genomes, but many other diverse biological species and problems would benefit equally if such technology were readily available. Researchers at Northern Arizona University are involved in diverse genetic and genomic problems that require a state-of-the-art, high capacity facility for DNA analyses. These instruments will be capable of moderate scale DNA sequencing (e.g. a small bacterial genome or single locus across many samples), but more importantly they will provide high capacity genotype analysis through PCR fragment sizing (i.e., DNA fingerprinting). An automated fluorescent detecting DNA sequencer will be used to size PCR fragments associated with microsatellite loci, detect SNPs, perform AFLP, and DNA sequencing. Moderate scale DNA sequencing capacity is valuable for molecular systematics by targeted gene sequencing, or small genome/plasmid sequence determination. The current grant will result in the establishment of a multi-user facility for ENvironmental Genomics and GENetics (EnGGEN). EnGGEN will be a university and regional resource center to provide molecular genetic analyses and training for a diverse user base from regional academic, government and private institutions. Users already committed to the facility are studying plant evolution, ecological community genetics, conservation genetics, microbial diversity, and molecular epidemiology. EnGGEN will provide a complementary facility to the Merriam Powell Center for Environmental Research (MPCER) and the Merriam-Powell Research Station whose missions are to support and foster collaborations among environmental scientists, land-managers, and educators from public and private sectors. Their diverse membership will provide immediate use of our proposed environmental genetics facility and promote its use by a broad research community.To promote the use of this facility throughout the University and regional research community (e.g., Forest Service, National Park Service, TNC, USGS), we have developed a plan of seminars, coursework, hands-on laboratory use, and fellowship opportunities. This will help recruit scientists that would not normally use genetics or genomic analyses in their studies due to a lack of familiarity and/or facilities. We will also support University curricular activities by sponsoring workshops, laboratory courses and seminars for graduate, undergraduate and K-12 students. NAU has a culturally rich student population with major representation of 42 Native American tribes and Hispanics. We will mentor these students through in-place programs including an NSF sponsored University Mentoring in Environmental Biology (UMEB) grant and a NAU grants program that targets undergraduate research.