Over the past 60 years, the ciliated protozoan, Tetrahymena thermophila, has had major impact on eukaryotic cell and molecular biology yielding fundamentally important discoveries with direct relevance to human health. In recognition of its contributions to basic and applied research, Tetrahymena was one of the first model organisms chosen by the NIH for whole genome sequencing in 2003. In 2005, the National Center for Research Resources (now Office of Research Infrastructure Programs) provided funding for the creation of a Tetrahymena Stock Center at Cornell University in order to: 1) preserve existing strains; 2) provide a safe haven for the many new strains that were rapidly being developed in the genomics and post-genomics eras; and, 3) disseminate those strains to interested users nationwide. In 2009, the Stock Center assumed control of the Tetrahymena Genome Database (TGD) at Bradley University. TGD is a community-annotated genome database that serves as the main repository for sequence information from the T. thermophila macronuclear and micronuclear genomes. Together, the Tetrahymena Stock Center and TGD serve indispensable functions for the ciliate research community providing live cultures and a host of other projects and services to hundreds of investigators in this country and abroad. Here we are requesting continued funding for the Stock Center in order to preserve the resource, expand its products and services, and make live cultures of T. thermophila available to interested users at reasonable cost. A major part of that effort will involve the development of innovative, video-based marketing tools that will increase awareness of Stock Center activities and enhance cost recovery. Additionally, to improve the overall function of TGD and save money in the long-term, we will migrate the data currently housed at Bradley University to the NSF-funded National Center for Genome Analysis Support (NCGAS) at Indiana University, and redesign the TGD website. Finally, with the long-term sustainability of the Stock Center as a major goal, we propose to move the Stock Center in its entirety to Washington University in St. Louis where Dr. Douglas Chalker will take over its leadership and replace the current director, Dr. Theodore Clark, who plans to retire within 5 years.
| Pinello, Jennifer Fricke; Lai, Alex L; Millet, Jean K et al. (2017) Structure-Function Studies Link Class II Viral Fusogens with the Ancestral Gamete Fusion Protein HAP2. Curr Biol 27:651-660 |
| Cole, Eric S; Cassidy-Hanley, Donna; Fricke Pinello, Jennifer et al. (2014) Function of the male-gamete-specific fusion protein HAP2 in a seven-sexed ciliate. Curr Biol 24:2168-2173 |
