Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center at Indiana University

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center (BDSC) supports a large, worldwide community of scientists using the insect Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism for biomedical experimentation. The goals of the BDSC are to provide a collection of documented living stocks of broad value to current research, to preserve documented strains with clear future value, and to provide information and support services that promote maximal exploitation of these materials. These goals facilitate research by providing universal and rapid access to the most generally useful stocks, by preserving specialty genotypes with exceptional characteristics, and by providing information that helps researchers identify stocks appropriate to their needs. Drosophila is used extensively in studies of biological processes relevant to human health and investigations of molecular mechanisms underlying disease, because genetic technologies available to Drosophila researchers are among the most sophisticated in any multicellular organism. As the most comprehensive source of stocks for genetic experimentation with Drosophila, the BDSC is central to the success of many research projects including a large number of NIH grants. The first specific aim of this proposal is to continue acquiring, maintaining and distributing Drosophila strains and to continue developing associated information resources to meet the research needs of Drosophila scientists while maintaining and promoting excellent user support. Key to this aim is the administration and advancement of the highly successful cost recovery program that finances operational expenses from user fees. Consequently, the proposal focuses on support and development of the core management team as the most effective way to leverage the investment of NIH resources. The second specific aim is to undertake research to increase the utility of a subset of BDSC stocks which have been preserved for their distinctive mutant phenotypes. The work will experimentally map mutations in these stocks to specific transcription units in the genome sequence and will substantially increase the usefulness and relevance of the stocks to researchers investigating the functional significance of molecularly defined genes.