Acquisition of a High Capacity Genotyping Facility for Diverse Biological Applications

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff AZ

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to Northern Arizona University under the direction of Dr. Paul Keim to purchase core instrumentation for a high-capacity, high-resolution DNA genotyping and sequencing facility. The power of genetic and genomic analysis has been well demonstrated in the human and a few selected model genomes, but many other diverse biological species and problems would benefit equally if such technology were readily available. Researchers at Northern Arizona University are involved in diverse genetic and genomic problems that require a state-of-the-art, high capacity facility for DNA analyses. These instruments will be capable of moderate scale DNA sequencing (e.g. a small bacterial genome or single locus across many samples), but more importantly they will provide high capacity genotype analysis through PCR fragment sizing (i.e., DNA fingerprinting). An automated fluorescent detecting DNA sequencer will be used to size PCR fragments associated with microsatellite loci, detect SNPs, perform AFLP, and DNA sequencing. Moderate scale DNA sequencing capacity is valuable for molecular systematics by targeted gene sequencing, or small genome/plasmid sequence determination. The current grant will result in the establishment of a multi-user facility for ENvironmental Genomics and GENetics (EnGGEN). EnGGEN will be a university and regional resource center to provide molecular genetic analyses and training for a diverse user base from regional academic, government and private institutions. Users already committed to the facility are studying plant evolution, ecological community genetics, conservation genetics, microbial diversity, and molecular epidemiology. EnGGEN will provide a complementary facility to the Merriam Powell Center for Environmental Research (MPCER) and the Merriam-Powell Research Station whose missions are to support and foster collaborations among environmental scientists, land-managers, and educators from public and private sectors. Their diverse membership will provide immediate use of our proposed environmental genetics facility and promote its use by a broad research community. To promote the use of this facility throughout the University and regional research community (e.g., Forest Service, National Park Service, TNC, USGS), we have developed a plan of seminars, coursework, hands-on laboratory use, and fellowship opportunities. This will help recruit scientists that would not normally use genetics or genomic analyses in their studies due to a lack of familiarity and/or facilities. We will also support University curricular activities by sponsoring workshops, laboratory courses and seminars for graduate, undergraduate and K-12 students. NAU has a culturally rich student population with major representation of 42 Native American tribes and Hispanics. We will mentor these students through in-place programs including an NSF sponsored University Mentoring in Environmental Biology (UMEB) grant and a NAU grants program that targets undergraduate research.