Plant & Animal Genome V Conference
Town & Country Hotel, San Diego, CA, January 12-16, 1997.
PAG-V: P36 - TOWARD DEVELOPMENT OF A BAC CENTER FOR GENOME RESEARCH
P36
TOWARD DEVELOPMENT OF A BAC CENTER FOR GENOME RESEARCH
ZHANG, HONG-BIN
Department of Soil & Crop Sciences, Crop Biotechnology Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-2123, USA
Development of large DNA fragment cloning technologies (yeast artificial chromosome - YAC and bacterial artificial chromosome - BAC) has played a pivotal role in genome research. The BAC represents a relatively new system for large DNA fragment cloning. To facilitate plant genome research, we previously developed a rapid and simple technology for plant megabase DNA preparation from a variety of plant species and constructed several plant BAC libraries. The BAC libraries have average inserts ranging from 95 to 210 kb and no chimeric clones have been so far found in the BAC libraries. Since BACs are stable in host cells and BAC DNA is easy to purify, BAC libraries have provided desirable, invaluable genetic resources for gene isolation and many other genetic and biological studies. Currently, many scientists are using our BAC libraries in their research. We have demonstrated utility of BAC libraries in many aspects of genome research. Because of the importance of BAC libraries for genome research, a BAC library center was founded at Texas A&M University in June 1996 - the Texas A&M BAC Center. The functions of the BAC Center are 1) to construct and collect high-quality plant BAC libraries, 2) maintain, screen, and supply BAC libraries for genome research world wide, and 3) develop new technologies for using the libraries to facilitate isolation of useful genes and many other genetic and biological studies. We have also developed a training program in plant megabase DNA preparation and BAC cloning, with emphasis on ³bring your tissues in and take your library back². In the last two months, two scientists were trained and two BAC libraries were constructed through this program. The research results will be presented in the meeting. For information about BAC library screening and construction, please contact Dr. Hongbin Zhang at E-mail: HBZ7049@pop.tamu.edu, or phone: (409)862-2244.