CSBR: Living Stocks Support for the Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center

University Of South Carolina At Columbia, Columbia SC

Investigators

Abstract

An award is made to the University of South Carolina to provide support for the Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center (PGSC). Animals of the genus Peromyscus (commonly referred to as deer mice, white footed mice, beach mice, etc.) are a model of choice for NSF-supported and other investigators that study evolution, adaptation and stress response, behavior, physiology, host-parasite interactions, microbiome-associated studies and others. The PGSC maintains and distributes outbred stocks of Peromyscus. In addition, it provides biological samples of various species, such as fresh, frozen and preserved tissues, DNA, fecal and blood samples and in response to external requests performs small-scale research projects to facilitate the research needs of external investigators. In view of the continuing need for transparency and reproducibility in science, the PGSC provides a consistent and uninterrupted supply of animals with verified quality, health, genetic and physiological status. The PGSC also operates as a focal point for Peromyscus associated research and provides training for undergraduate and graduate students, and other investigators using Peromyscus in research. The deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus and congeneric species are the most common native North American mammal. They range from Alaska to Central America and occur in many natural habitats. Because of their abundance, these animals constitute a major component of nearctic terrestrial ecosystems. The PGSC maintains genetic and phenotypic variants drawn from the geographic variation present in wild populations of deer mice in the genus Peromyscus. These stocks provide critical resources for the study of genotype to phenotype relationships, local adaptation, and evolution in natural populations. Some of the clearest evidence of natural selection and adaptation have come from studies of deer mice. Peromyscus has emerged a model of choice for the study of major biological processes such as speciation, adaptation and stress response, behavior adaptation in the context of physiology and evolution, host-parasite interactions, microbiome-associated studies and others. The stock center enables these studies by providing living stocks for quantitative genetic and genomic analyses to identify the genes underlying ecologically important, adaptive phenotypic variation and make predictions about population evolutionary response in a spatially variable and temporally changing environment. The Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center (PGSC) maintains and distributes outbred stocks of Peromyscus and several behavioral and coat-color mutants for research. In addition, it provides investigators with biological samples of various species, such as fresh, frozen and preserved tissues, DNA, fecal and blood samples and in response to external requests performs small-scale research projects to facilitate investigator's research needs. The PGSC also functions as a clearing-house for Peromyscus associated information through the 'Perotimes', a newsletter that is published twice a year, and the PGSC website (www.pgsc.cas.sc.edu). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.