Ames, Iowa
October 30, 2008
The largest cluster of plant
databases in the nation has a new home, the Crop Genome
Informatics Laboratory, a
USDA-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and
Iowa State University
facility.
The building housing the center was recently renovated and
formerly known as the Agronomy Laboratory. The center houses 25
researchers from both Iowa State and the USDA-ARS Corn Insects
and Crop Genetics Research Unit under one roof. Previously the
scientists were scattered in different offices across campus.
The 8,000 square-foot building now includes the MaizeGDB (Maize
Genetics and Genomics Database), PlantGDB (Plant Genome
Database), Soybase and the Soybean Breeder's Toolbox and the
PLEXdb (Plant Expression Database). Each database is a tool that
provides biological information as well as gene data about
specific agronomic traits. The databases are available to
researchers on campus and around the world.
The goal of the center is to enhance communication and
collaboration among scientists says Carolyn Lawrence, a USDA-ARS
research geneticist and assistant professor in genetics,
development and cell biology in the College of Agriculture and
Life Sciences. Lawrence, who coordinates the facility, said
there are advantages to having scientists studying similar
topics under one roof.
"Things are happening a little faster," Lawrence said. "There's
something to be said about using technology to communicate but
it's easier to communicate now that we are all in one building."
The building also has resources for teleconferencing and space
to train database users on and off campus.
"Our goal is to advance the science of bioinformatics to the
point that we can utilize these huge databases for the benefit
of other researchers," said Les Lewis, former research leader of
the Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit and chair of
the Iowa State entomology department. "The bottom line is to
benefit farmers who are growing soybeans, corn, barley and other
crops."
The USDA has been working on plant breeding and genetics on the
Iowa State campus since 1922. Crop and plant biological data
have been collected over the years and put into databases, which
have continued to grow and evolve. The basis for Iowa State's
current plant database recognition and funding are the Zea mays
Database (ZmDB), BarleyBase and Soybase.
Funding for the renovation included $225,000 from the
Agriculture Research Service, $150,000 from the College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences, $100,000 from the Plant Sciences
Institute, $85,000 from the agronomy department and $25,000 from
the genetics, development and cell biology department. |
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