Interactions

The Bigger Picture

In addition to the aforementioned and impressive physical facilities, OSU is the home of several critical resources for molecular and biotechnological research in plants, plant-microbe interactions and agricultural microbiology. Relevant centralized biotechnology facilities at OSU include the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center (ABRC). ABRC was established at OSU in September, 1991, with Dr. Randy Scholl Director. Primary support for the ABRC is provided by the National Science Foundation. The mission of ABRC is to provide collection, preservation and distribution of seeds, and DNA clone and library storage, as well as DNA clone distribution services. Arabidopsis is the key plant organism used for virtually all genomics and a large proportion of current molecular biological studies is performed with this model plant. As such, Arabidopsis is the first plant for which the whole genome sequence became available. ARBC supplies molecules and germ plasm for basic studies to laboratories all over the world.

Another important resource is the Plant-Microbe Genomics Facility (PMGF). Fueled by an Ohio Board of Regents grant as well as matching funds from OSU, PMGF provides state of the art equipment to offer basic services and technical support related to molecular-related studies performed by plant researchers. PMGF has facilities for high-throughput and rapid DNA sequencing and genotyping, global gene expression studies using microarray printing and reading equipment, specific gene expression using real-time PCR, and there is a complete system for performing proteome analyses and automated protein separation from 2-dimensional acrylamide gels. Robotics equipment is available for large-scale and routine operations requiring repetitive sampling and handling.

At the Wooster campus, the Molecular and Cellular Imaging Center (MCIC) at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) provides services for all types of sophisticated microscopy, including electron microscopy, as well as DNA sequencing. The Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) is situated on the OSU campus in Columbus and is central to efforts for developing bioinformatics resources. Also located in Columbus is the Edison Biotechnology Center (EBC), which has recently performed several key surveys relative to commercial applications of plant biotechnology for Ohio. EBC has also helped to formulate a statewide bioinformatics web involving industrial and academic partnerships. Most importantly, new biotechnology incubator laboratory facilities are planned for Columbus that will facilitate the development of start-up companies in biotechnology. These various resources put OSU in a very strong position to take a leadership role in plant and microbial biotechnology, with PMBB at the forefront of such efforts.

Finally, an additional and important resource of note is the Ohio Plant Biotechnology Consortium (OPBC), which is a state-funded consortium of 10 universities throughout the state of Ohio. It is administered through the OARDC and OSU, and OARDC faculty represent over half the membership of the consortium. The mission of the OPBC is to maximize synergy and collaboration among plant and microbial biotechnologists throughout the state related to problems of critical importance for Ohio agriculture. The OPBC has identified 16 areas of critical importance for biotechnology research towards problems of importance to Ohio Agriculture. It operates a competitive grants program to meet these needs. These 16 areas of research and collaborative efforts are funded through the OPBC and can be reviewed at the OPBC website.

PMBB Program
The Ohio State University
704 Riffe Building
496 West 12th Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210-1292
Phone: 614-247-6098
FAX: 614-292-6337

Webmaster: Eduardo Acosta