4/23/07

In anticipation of the FGSC renewal submission this summer, I visited Google Scholar today and found the following interesting numbers.
 

If you do not restrict the search years, you find 1580 hits for 'FGSC'.

Based on the number of orders we receive and how widespread the materials from the FGSC are, this number ought to be higher.
Please remember to cite the FGSC in publications. We do keep track.

4/17/07

Today the USDA Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) issued its Spring 2007 Stakeholder Update where they announced that they are undergoing a major revision of their how they regulate genetically engineered organisms. They say:

"BRS is undertaking a major revision of its guidance on the regulation of GE organisms. The project will update and consolidate all agency guidance related to compliance with APHIS’ biotechnology regulations (7 CFR 340) into a single printed publication, entitled the BRS User’s Guide. In January 2007, the first two chapters of the new BRS User's Guide were posted online. These include a chapter on document preparation guidelines, including how to handle CBI, and guidance for notifications. As BRS completes new guidance chapters they will also be placed online, until all existing guidance is replaced with new guidance. All BRS User’s Guide chapters are available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/brs_usersguide.html"

The last time the regulations were updated was November 1996. Officially "Developers and researchers may petition APHIS to remove the regulated organism from BRS oversight, " but the petition process is geared entirely toward crop plants.

This means that this is an important time to weigh in with your opinion about how genetically engineered plant pathogenic fungi are regulated. Registering as a BRS Stakeholder is a first step towards being better informed about this important issue. Contacting your Senator or Congress Representative is another way to be heard. You can also contact the USDA Biotechnology Regulatory Services directly.

4/10/07

If you work with plant pathogenic fungi in the US and you use genetic engineering you may want to know that interstate traffic in genetically engineered strains may be illegal. What are you to do? Lobby the USDA to change the rules governing the laboratory use of genetically engineered plant pathogenic fungi. Why is this important? If you publish a paper describing your work, you are essentially admitting guilt.

4/5/07

At the recent meeting someone asked me how we dealt with slant cultures with cotton plugs where the cotton has gotten contaminated with conidia. We hold the tube in a flame to heat the mouth then we withdraw the cotton into the flame and after it has burned for a moment, we drop it into freshly diluted 10% Bleach (Sodium Hypochlorite). Then we re-plug the tube with a fresh cotton plug that we pre-sterilize in empty tubes. This way we can simply transfer a plug from the empty tube to the one with the conidiating culture.

BE A TOOL
This is the message from the latest meeting. In the 1980's we used E. coli as a tool to manipulate DNA. Now we use Yeast as a tool to manipulate DNA. So, to succeed as a model system, you need to be a tool.

Now the 24th Fungal Genetics Conference has come and gone. This was a truly great meeting. It has been diverse for many years, but this year the amazing thing was the tremendous depth accompanying the diversity. It is a good time to be in fungal genetics.

We returned to daffodils, blooming pears and the accursed dandelion. I don't like to use herbicides because I do like to have clover and thyme in my lawn. This makes it a bit of a challenge to control the dandelions. I was also digging out garlic chives from the vegetable garden. They can actually be pretty invasive. Later in the season, the problem will be nut-sedge.

Of course, one man's weeds are another man's native plants.