Transcript The Agriculture Research Service Culture Collection (NRRL)

The Agricultural Research Service
Culture Collection (NRRL):
Germplasm Accessions and Research Programs
Cletus P.
Kurtzman
ARS Culture Collection
(NRRL)
Nat’l Center for Agricultural
Utilization Research
USDA / ARS,
Peoria, Illinois USA
ARS Culture Collection
(NRRL)
Established:
1940
Mission:
Collect, maintain and utilize microbial germplasm
for agricultural and agro-industrial applications
Website:
http://nrrl.ncaur.usda.gov
ARS Culture Collection
Accessions
General Collections
Actinobacteria
Bacteria
Filamentous fungi
Yeasts
9,000
10,300
53,000
15,000
Patent Collection
6,000
Annual strain distributions
4,000
ARS Culture Collection
Source of Cultures
Thom Collection
Aspergillus, Penicillium
Harvard Collection of Mucorales
N. R. Smith Collection
Bacillus
Mix Collection
Dulmadge Collection
Taphrina
Bacillus thuringiensis, B. sphaericus
J. W. Fell Collection
U. S. Army Quartermaster Collection
Various NCAUR research programs
Other scientists
Marine yeasts
Biodegradation fungi
ARS Culture Collection
Distribution Policies
General Collection
12 strains per request / 24 strains per year
Required permits must be provided
No charge per ARS policy
Patent Collection
Budapest Treaty Rules
ARS Culture Collection
Preservation
Lyophilization
Ampoules
Liquid nitrogen storage
ARS Culture Collection
Staff
Curators/Scientists
(Curatorial duties, ca. 20%)
Clete Kurtzman
Yeasts
Dave Labeda
Actinobacteria
Kerry O’Donnell
Fusarium, Mucorales, etc.
Steve Peterson
Aspergillus, Penicillium, etc.
Alex Rooney
Bacteria
Todd Ward
Listeria
Jim Swezey
Patent Collection
Technical Staff = 7
(Collection duties, 10-50%)
ARS Culture Collection
Scientific Contributions
Production strains for:
Penicillin
Xanthan gum
Dextran blood extender
Riboflavin
Beta–carotene
First yeast to ferment pentoses
(biomass)
Diagnostic gene sequences
bacteria, molds, yeasts – food safety, microbial forensics
Challenges for
Culture Collections
Cost recovery for strain distributions
Cost for long-term maintenance
Funding for qualified staff
Funding/Staff to characterize poorly identified germplasm
and for strain verification
Back-up sites for cultures and strain data
Germplasm
at Risk
Abandoned Collections
Who will decide their value?
Who will take them?
Research Materials – Published strains
Key strains should be deposited in culture collections
and distributed without restrictions
Will journals enforce this concept?
Research Materials – Unpublished strains – access?
Intellectual
Property
Patent Cultures
Budapest Treaty
National Patent Offices
Non-Patent Cultures
Published cultures – MTAs?
Non-published cultures – MTAs?
“Rio Treaty” Cultures
Questions
???
No single collection can maintain all
microorganisms – can a network of
interactive collections be developed?
How can long-term funding be
developed to ensure the survival and
use of established collections?