Susan McCarthy, Coordinator
Plant Genome Data and Information Center
National Agricultural Library, ARS, USDA
Beltsville, MD 20705
Today, more than ever, information is your key to success. If you are planning research projects; looking for collaborators, research techniques, and tools; or interested in reporting your research progress, educating students, and developing markets, visit the Plant Genome Data and Information Center (PGDIC)--using your computer and modem.
PGDIC's online information resource provides up-to-date information on current research, grants, plant DNA libraries, plant genome events and short courses, personal contacts, PROBE articles, and more. Described below are some of its exciting features and directions for plugging in.
Plant Genome Grant Information
Plant Genome grants awarded since the program's inception are currently listed by year. Each entry includes the name of the principal investigator, institution, title of the proposal, and a CRIS (Current Research Information Service) accession number. In the near future, the World Wide Web (WWW) file format will provide active links to the original full text CRISrecord.
A new bibliography has been compiled from the 1991 Plant Genome Grants. It features a selection of the most significant papers published from these grants. PGDIC will update it and compile additional bibliographies on a regular basis.
Calendar of events
Timely listings of important national and international meetings, conferences, and workshops are posted monthly. Listings include event title, location and dates, contact information, and more. Also listed are short courses to refresh and build skills.
Plant Genome Phonebook
The Plant Genome Phonebook lists contact information for developers and other individuals working on the plant genome databases. The Phonebook lists names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses, along with a brief description of the individual's role in the program.
Plant DNA Library Files
By popular request, PGDIC's online resource features Plant DNA Library Files, which contain information of interest to researchers, educators, and the business community. Data was collected either by direct author submission or by careful reading of the recent research literature.
Whenever possible, the files contain information about the nature of the library (genomic, cDNA, YAC); nucleic acid preparation methods; cloning vectors used; cloning site; insert size; estimated titers; how the library was screened; clones isolated, including their GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession numbers; the citation reference; contact person(s) and availability. Coming soon is a form to facilitate direct author submission. We encourage all researchers to participate in developing this valuable resource.
Plant Genome Mapping Projects
The plant genome mapping project files have many uses. For example, grant proposal preparation is greatly aided when you know which projects have been funded. The information in these files will enable you to develop unique proposals that attract funding. Also, today's complex cross-cutting research is highly dependent on collaboration, and the projects directory will help you find colleagues with similar interests. In addition, students looking for graduate and postdoctoral research can use these files to locate suitable laboratories.
The files were created by searching the databases CRIS/ICAR (USDA and CARC, North America), SPAAR (World Bank, USA), ARRIP (CSIRO, Australia) and AGREP (European Community Agriculture Research) using the AGRISEARCH Silver Platter CD-ROM. The files are updated annually. (See the sidebar on new plant genome mapping projects in this issue.)
The sponsored research projects on plant genome mapping were found by using names of plant species and the following terms: gene map, genetic mapping, gene mapping, genetic map, genome map, genome mapping, linkage map, linkage mapping, physical map, physical mapping, RFLP mapping, RFLP map, molecular map, molecular mapping, chromosome map, chromosome mapping, and quantitative trait loci.
Probe
Probe, the official newsletter of the USDA Plant Genome Research Program is now available online. All issues are accessible via gopher. The two most recent issues are also available as hypertext documents on the WWW. Retrospective conversion of the earlier issues to HTML for the WWW is under way.
You have two options for downloading Probe articles from gopher. Separate gopher files have been created for individual articles; this allows you to select individual articles without having to download an entire issue. Should you choose to download an entire issue, PGDIC has also provided a separate file with complete issues.
Much more...
At present, PGDIC's online resource contains practical information about the Plant Genome Research Program; research techniques and resources, including molecular markers; patents; germplasm; and much more. We invite you to mine these valuable information resources viagopher and WWW.
Access
To access the (online resource) via gopher:
Point your gopher to:
* gopher.nalusda.gov
Select Information Centers, then
Select Plant Genome Data and Information Center
WWW access: The URL is
* http://www.nalusda.gov/answers/info_centers/pgdic/pgdic.html
Please direct your questions about PGDIC's online information resource to the Plant Genome Data and Information Center, (301) 504-6613.