ABSTRACT

164The Fungal Genetics Stock Center (FGSC) has validated, preserved, and distributed strains of filamentous fungi for research and development for more than 55 years. Beginning with wild types and classical mutants of Neurospora crassa, and soon thereafter of Aspergillus nidulans, the holdings at the FGSC have grown increasingly larger in number and in diversity. The FGSC collection now maintains and distributes over 23,000 mutant strains that include both classical and gene deletion strains, in addition to 3000 wild-type strains obtained from nature and from laboratory research programs. Additional resources available from the FGSC include more than 800 plasmids, gene libraries, and 2900 and 6400 gene deletion mutants of Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans, respectively. Since its founding in 1960, the FGSC has shipped over 45,000 individual strains as well as over 700,000 strains in arrayed sets to more than 5000 recipients around the world.