Bob Herman and I have been asked to chair a discussion on future
genomic and genetic resources for C. elegans research as part of a more
general discussion in a workshop on Non-mammalian Models in mid February at
NIH. We would like to have input from the entire C. elegans community on the
following questions. Please respond by email to mc21 at columbia.edu by February
7. We will collate the responses and post a summary of the results of the
discussion at the meeting in the newsgroup.
!. What are the resource needs for C. elegans?
a. Identify the resources for structural (e.g., maps, ESTs, cDNAs,
genomic sequence) and functional (e.g., genome-wide mutagenesis, technologies
for phenotype analysis) analyses, as well as technologies, that are needed to
facilitate research on C. elegans. Include cost estimates for these.
b. Prioritize these needs.
2. Are the database resources for C. elegans meeting the community needs? Is
the information easily accessible and useful? If not, how can this be
improved?
3. What needs to be done to facilitate the use of C. elegans and/or data
generated with this model for those without expertise, e.g., geneticists
working on other organisms? What can be done to facilitate interactions
between organism communities?
4. Consideration of other model organisms:
a. What needs are not being met by work on Saccharomyces cerevisiae,
C. elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, zebrafish, and Xenopus (the five
organisms that are the primary focus of the meeting)?
b. Are there any candidates for other models that fill these unmet
needs?
Thanks for your help.
Marty Chalfie
