DNASU is a 11 year old non-profit, academic-based repository that provides academia, industry and the government with a wide variety of plasmids including specialized vectors, regulatory genetic sequences, and genes from 1,269 organisms, with many complete genome collections, including the first complete human set. Users access the repository through our website, https://dnasu.org/, where they can: view pertinent clone, gene and vector information; order clones; and utilize link-outs to reach external resources such as protocols and publications. DNASU acquires plasmids both through in-house production by our high throughput cloning pipeline and through deposition by outside research groups. In addition, we partnered with the Protein Structure Initiative (PSI), for whom we performed full-length sequence verification and annotation on plasmids from multiple PSI centers before distributing them. Distribution is initiated when a user visits DNASU to request selected construct(s). Technicians subculture and ship the glycerol stocks for a nominal re-charge fee. DNASU maintains and archives over 260,000 unique plasmids. The DNASU website sees an average of 3,000 unique visitors per month, receives 5,000 orders and distributes over 35,000 plasmids per year to scientists worldwide. DNASU received funding from NIGMS through the PSI initiative that enabled the addition of >93,000 plasmids to its collection and the development of software tools for locating and using clones, thus creating a unique worldwide resource. We also received funds from NIGMS Legacy program to improve the infrastructure, member collection, visibility and sustainability of the repository. We have made significant inroads to create a self-sustaining effort whereby we can continue to distribute clones from our existing collection. However, the number of clones we distribute, although large, is small relative to the massive size of the collection we must maintain, so our sales do not support continued database/computer programming, upkeep and updating of our collection, or acquisition of new collections. We recognize that the scientific community needs a comprehensive archival site like ours in order to continue expanding scientific knowledge on the many proteins that have not yet been studied. We are seeking funding to support our operations and customer support to: 1) Maintain and Improve the Physical Plasmid Repository by refining wet lab methods, updating targeted collections to current expression vectors, refreshing clones to ensure viability, and assisting with acquisition of orphaned collections; 2) Enhance Bioinformatics Capabilities of DNASU to stay current with modern hardware, software and operating systems, and to enhance the DNASU database and bioinformatics pipelines for sequence annotation of the physical clones and the related biological information; and 3) Improve Customer Experience and Outreach by re-constructing the DNASU interface for order placement, improving technical support, and engaging scientists through social media support.
The DNASU Plasmid Materials Repository?s collects or create genes and other DNA-based resources, verifies that they are correct, maintains them safely for long term storage, and distributes them worldwide at low cost to scientific researchers to accelerate research and discovery. Sharing these plasmids will continue to provide tools to develop a better understanding of disease and potential biomarker targets to aid in disease diagnosis and treatment.
