LSC: The Escherichia Coli Genetic Stock Center

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This award provides renewed support for the operation of the Escherichia coli Genetic Stock Center (CGSC) at Yale University. Escherichia coli (E. coli) is an important model organism and is perhaps the best understood cellular organism from a genetics and biochemistry standpoint. This high degree of understanding has made E. coli not just an important subject of research, but also the laboratory workhorse for molecular genetics research on a broad variety of organisms as well as an invaluable tool for biotechnology. The CGSC maintains an active collection of over 8,500 genetically defined derivatives of the E. coli strain K-12. This collection is updated frequently as new useful strains become available such as the recently acquired Keio collection, a systematic collection of over 3,800 single gene knockouts. The CGSC typically distributes approximately 5,000 strains per year to scientists and educators worldwide. In addition, the CGSC provides information about available strains, as well as genetic maps and information on genes and gene products in a fully searchable database at the collection website (http://cgsc.biology.yale.edu). The CGSC also participates in the EcoliHub project and other web based resources such as EcoGene, and EcoCyc that link directly to the CGSC database. As part of its role in the research community, the CGSC coordinates the assignment of gene symbols and allele numbers and works to encourage adherence to accepted genetic nomenclature. Support provided through this award subsidizes approximately 76% of the ongoing cost of maintaining the strain collection and the corresponding databases. User's fees and institutional support provide for the balance of the operating expenses.