LSC: Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center at Indiana University

Indiana University, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract This is a five-year renewal award to the Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center (BDSC) at Indiana University. Dr. Kathleen Matthews in the Department of Biology is the PI and CoPIs include Drs. Kevin Cook and Thomas Kaufman. The BDSC is an internationally-recognized stock center that collects, maintains and distributes genetic stocks of the fly Drosophila melanogaster. It supports a large and active research community investigating fundamental biological processes through the use of the sophisticated genetic tools developed in this popular model organism. Its current user base includes more than 2,400 research groups and 35 teaching units in 56 countries. 61% of Center use comes from U.S. scientists and 98% of use comes from academic researchers. BDSC provides a comprehensive selection of strains supporting the full spectrum of Drosophila research. The collection consists of over 20,000 different genetic strains containing over 95,000 defined genetic elements including mutations, chromosomal aberrations and transposon insertions as well as tools for gene misexpression, site-specific recombination and transgenesis. BDSC will continue to maintain a website which will provide information concerning stocks, their experimental uses, ordering and account information, and regulatory issues. Information about genetic components of Bloomington stocks is fully integrated into FlyBase, the primary genetic and genomics database for Drosophila workers. Drosophila strains from Bloomington have been key components in experiments in gene regulation, cell biology, developmental biology, neurobiology, behavioral biology, population biology, ecology and evolution and will continue to have a broad impact in many fields of biological endeavor. The Center will assure that the stocks are used effectively by making BDSC information available through databases and websites found at http://flystocks.bio.indiana.edu