Preserving US microbe collections sparks future discoveries

Abstract

Collections of micro-organisms are a crucial element of life science research infrastructure but are vulnerable to loss and damage caused by natural or man-made disasters, the untimely death or retirement of personnel, or the loss of research funding. Preservation of biological collections has risen in priority due to a new appreciation for discoveries linked to preserved specimens, emerging hurdles to international collecting and decreased funding for new collecting. While many historic collections have been lost, several have been preserved, some with dramatic rescue stories. Rescued microbes have been used for discoveries in areas of health, biotechnology and basic life science. Suggestions for long-term planning for microbial stocks are listed, as well as inducements for long-term preservation.

Keywords: algae; biotechnology; diversity; environmental mycology; fungi.

Figure 1

Liquid nitrogen tanks and vials of microbes, stored at the USDA‐ARS National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation (NLGRP), Fort Collins, Colorado. (a) Liquid nitrogen tanks. (b) Vials of specimens cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen, vapour phase. [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]

Figure 2

Rescued yeast specimens. (a) Rescued yeasts as preserved on agar slants by Starmer (viability limit 10–15 years). Note the cracked caps, yellowed cotton plugs and mineral oil overlay. (b) Cryopreserved yeasts in the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection (viable for decades). [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]

Figure 3

Lyopholized Escherichia coli from the collection of Nobel Prize winner Joshua Lederberg, preserved in the CGSC. [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]

Figure 4

UTEX Culture Collection of Algae, Austin, Texas. (a) Active cultures of algae maintained as agar slants. (b) Active cultures of algae maintained as liquid cultures. [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]

Figure 5

UAMH Center for Global Microfungal Diversity at the University of Toronto. (a) UAMH repository. (b) UAMH herbarium specimen. [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]