FGSC BLOG ARCHIVE

5/24/06

We have just received three strains of Verticillium associated with the Broad Institute's Fungal Genome Initiative. Also from the Broad, we have received fosmid libraries from the Fusarium graminearum genome project. We want to house these libraries because it provides access to the genome for people who may not wish to or cannot get a permit to grow the fungus.

We have conducted an unplanned test of shipping KO mutants on filter paper. We sent a plate to a colleague in a South American country and because of a local labor issue, all packages labeled 'biological research specimens' were returned to the shipper. We will test the viability of these filters after their globe-trotting journey and report here on their viability.

Rachel is out this week as she had to have reconstructive surgery on her ACL. Lets all wish her a speedy recovery.

5/5/06

May Day! Workers of the america unite, you have nothing to lose but your immigration status. 

OK, I say this with a certain tongue-in-cheek attitude. We did not have any work interruptions at the FGSC recently. We have been rather busy.  We now have eight 96-well plates of KO mutants prepared and will try to figure out how to aliquot them efficiently.
We also have done preliminary experiments to copy them onto filter-paper discs in 96-wells such that people could get them without
the need to ship them on dry-ice. We hope to begin distributing these library sets soon. Meanwhile, we have also prepared sets of
hyphal growth mutants and transcription factor mutants. We have already begun sending these out and they can be sent as conidial suspensions in 96-well plates frozen in dry ice. For destinations outside the US, we are developing the tools to send them as filter paper stocks and will try to send them this way if you want.

On a personal note, I finished the 4 mile Kansas City Trolley Run in something like 34 minutes. That is pretty slow for me, historically, but also not bad given the water under my bridge (to abuse a metaphor). This is the biggest run I ever do and it has something like 10,000 runners, joggers, and walkers.

So far this year we have had 191 orders and have sent out 832 strains. This puts us on a record setting pace! Keep up the fungal genetics.

The opinions and ideas expressed here are my personal opinions and do not represent the position of the FGSC or the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Any resemblance to persons, alive or previously alive, is purely coincidental, except when I mention living or previously living people explicitly and especially when I include photos of living or previously living people.