Tucson Drosophila Stock Center

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This award provides continued support for the Tucson Drosophila Species Stock Center, a publicly-supported collection of living stocks of Drosophila species which moved to the University of Arizona in 2000. The collection consists of over 1000 strains representing approximately 250 species of the small insect commonly referred to as the fruit fly. On request, the Stock Center provides sample of live flies to researchers and educators at a modest charge that defrays only a portion of the cost of operation. In the four years since the Tucson Stock Center opened, the number of strains provided annually has increased by about 50%; continued growth in usage is projected as the number of drosophila species whose genome sequence has been determined increases. Areas of expected growth in the Stock Center's collection include expanded species representation, addition of newly collected wild type stocks for species already represented in the collection and addition of genetically marked strains for those species whose genomes have been sequenced. Availability of these sequences is expected to stimulate comparative genomics studies and thus the demand for samples of the collection. In addition to its role in enabling research, the Stock Center provides samples for educational uses in high schools, colleges and museums. The Stock Center also conducts an annual workshop for students and researchers who wish to learn more about the varied species in the collection and to acquire the special knowledge needed to work with them.