First meeting of the USCCN

September 6, 2012
September 6, 2012 - September 7, 2012

Location

The Fungal Genetics Stock Center, University of Missouri - Kansas City, MO

Outline

The meeting emphasized the development of materials for teaching best practices for managing, preserving, and distributing bacteria, fungi, and other microbes in the context of formal culture collections.

Program

The Fungal Genetics Stock Center, University of Missouri- Kansas City

Wednesday, September 5; 3:30- 5:00 p.m.

Biological Resource Centers: Careers as science professionals
An outreach event for Kansas City high school and undergraduate students

UMKC Student Union

  • Kevin McCluskey, Curator Fungal Genetics Stock Center, Kansas City, MO
  • David Smith, Director of Biological Resources, CAB International, Surrey, UK
  • Jonathan White, Scientist, MRIGlobal, Kansas City, MO
  • Alex Idnurm, Assistant Professor, UMKC School of Biological Sciences
  • Willie Wilson, Director National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota, Boothbay, ME
  • Kyria Boundy-Mills, Curator Phaff Yeast Collection, University of California, Davis, CA

Thursday, September 6
Introduction and launch of the network
UMKC Student Union

Friday September 7
Workshop planning and Laboratory site visits
UMKC School of Biological Sciences, Fungal Genetics Stock Center

2012 American Phytopathological Society Special Session

Practice and Management of Microbial and Plant Germplasm Collections

AMERICAN PHYTOPATHOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 2012 Annual meeting, Providence RI

Wednesday, August 8; 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Organizers: Shuxian Li, USDA-ARS, Crop Genetics Research Unit, Stoneville, MS, U.S.A.; Rick Bennett, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, U.S.A.; Kimberly Webb, USDA-ARS, Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A.; Kevin McCluskey, University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO, U.S.A.
Section: Professionalism/Outreach
Sponsors: Collections and Germplasm; Public Policy Board
The session will focus on analogies of plant germplasm and pathogen germplasm collections for management, proper storage, handling, distribution, and database management. The well-established USDA National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) will be examined as a model for pathogen collections in a proposed National Plant Microbial Germplasm System (NPMGS). Speakers will examine curation of plant materials versus microbes and how microbial collections may be integrated into the established system for plant germplasm, including backing up collections, genotyping, and modification of databases in the Genetic Resources Information Network (GRIN).

Introduction: National Plant Microbial Germplasm System overview. R. BENNETT, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, U.S.A.
1:00 p.m. The National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) and GRIN-Global. C. A. GARDNER (1). (1) USDA-ARS, Ames, IA, U.S.A.
1:30 p.m. Management of germplasm collections and associated data via informatics tools: Opportunities and challenges. S. KANG (1). (1) Department of Plant Pathology, Penn State University, University Park, PA, U.S.A.
2:00 p.m. Plant germplasm curation—Best practices. D. ELLIS (1). (1) USDA-ARS, National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation, Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A.
2:30 p.m. Break
2:45 p.m. Experience with best practice guidelines for microbial germplasm repositories at the Fungal Genetics Stock Center. K. MCCLUSKEY (1), A. Wiest (1), R. Schnittker (1). (1) University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Biological Sciences, Kansas City, MO, U.S.A.
3:00 p.m. From culture collection to genetic resource centre: The Dutch approach. P. W. CROUS (1), G. J. Verkley (1). (1) CBS Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
3:30 p.m. DNA barcoding and next-generation sequencing—Opportunities and challenges for reference biological collections. C. A. LEVESQUE (1). (1) Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada