From genetics to genomics: fungal collections at the Fungal Genetics Stock Center

Abstract

The Fungal Genetics Stock Center (FGSC) has been described as an Open Source Repository supporting over 50 years of research into some of the most fundamental questions in modern biology. From its origins allied to studies of the nature of genes, through the first efforts to associate DNA sequence with genes, to its current position as a repository for nearly 75 strains with fully sequenced genomes, the FGSC has taken on whatever challenges the community has offered. As the tools have changed over the years the FGSC has adapted. Whether it was classical mutants, gene libraries, or fully genome-sequenced strains, and even gene deletion sets for several fungi, the FGSC community has trusted their most valuable resources to the FGSC. The FGSC currently holds nearly 20,000 accessioned fungal strains. Additional non-accessioned strains, including Cryptococcus and Candida deletion sets, Magnaporthe-tagged integrants, lyophilized strains from the Tatum collection, and wild strains from the Perkins lab, bring the total number of fungal strains held at the FGSC to over 75,000. History has shown that shared resources are more valuable and the communities that shared the most, gained the most. The resources in the collection at the FGSC have reiterated and emphasized this by acting as the rising tide that has lifted the boat of fungal genetics, and fungal genomics, research.

Keywords:

• Neurospora
• Aspergillus
• Biological Resource Center
• classical mutant
• whole genome sequence

Acknowledgements

The FGSC is supported by the US National Science Foundation Living Stock Collection program grant 0742713. Mr. Aric Wiest contributed to the discussion surrounding the writing of this article.