The Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center (ABRC) was established at
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
in September, 1991. Primary support for the ABRC is provided by a
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...
grant. The mission of the ABRC is to acquire, preserve and distribute seed and DNA resources that are useful to the
Arabidopsis
''Arabidopsis'' (rockcress) is a genus in the family Brassicaceae. They are small flowering plants related to cabbage and mustard. This genus is of great interest since it contains thale cress (''Arabidopsis thaliana''), one of the model organi ...
research community.
New
seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
and
DNA enter ABRC through donation by national and international researchers. An identifying number is assigned to each stock. The stock is then evaluated, documented and made available for distribution. The preservation of seed and DNA stocks is conducted according to strict, defined protocols. Backups of stocks are maintained to ensure preservation.
The ABRC's holdings and stock distribution rates have increased rapidly so that presently hundreds of thousands of stocks are available. More than 100,000 stocks are shipped annually to researchers in more than 60 countries, and modest fees for stocks are charged as part of a not-for-profit cost-recovery strategy.
The ABRC database functions and ordering system are incorporated into
The Arabidopsis Information Resource
The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) is a community resource and online model organism database of genetic and molecular biology data for the model plant ''Arabidopsis thaliana
''Arabidopsis thaliana'', the thale cress, mouse-ear cress o ...
(TAIR). Researchers can obtain information about Arabidopsis, perform stock searches, order stocks, and view current and past orders.
They welcome new seed and DNA stock donations at any time.
See also
*
Arabidopsis thaliana
''Arabidopsis thaliana'', the thale cress, mouse-ear cress or arabidopsis, is a small flowering plant native to Eurasia and Africa. ''A. thaliana'' is considered a weed; it is found along the shoulders of roads and in disturbed land.
A winter a ...
*
Nottingham Arabidopsis Stock Centre
The Nottingham Arabidopsis Stock Centre (NASC) provides seed and information resources to the International Arabidopsis Genome Project and the wider research community. It is based in the School of Biosciences at the University of Nottingham's S ...
External links
Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center
References
{{authority control
1991 establishments in Ohio
Arabidopsis thaliana
Scientific organizations based in the United States
Organizations established in 1991
Agricultural research institutes in the United States
Research institutes in Ohio