Genome processing of algae from the Aquatic Species Program?

[Genecks]

Were the various strains of algae that were maintained from the Aquatic Species Program ever processed, documented, and made public?

 

Also, who shut down the program?

 

Here is what I've found so far.

Does anyone know if there is a database with more strains?

 

II.A.3. The SERI Microalgae Culture Collection

II.A.3.a. History of SERI Microalgae Culture Collection

The SERI Microalgae Culture Collection was first established in 1984 by Dr. Bill Barclay to

provide a central repository for strains that were believed to have potential as biomass fuel

production organisms. The intent was to provide documented and partially characterized

microalgal strains to researchers interested in conducting biofuels research or in developing algal

mass culture technologies. The publicly available collection was described in a series of Culture

Collection Catalogs published between 1984 and 1987. It was initially limited to strains that had

been characterized quite extensively with respect to growth properties and chemical composition,

and that were believed to hold the most promise. These catalogs contain a wealth of information

for many of these strains, often including photomicrographs, proximate chemical compositions,

lipid contents of cells grown under various environmental conditions, growth characteristics in

different media types and different temperatures, and the results of small-scale outdoor

production pond trials. Furthermore, media compositions are provided in these catalogs.

The original 1984-1985 Microalgae Culture Collection Catalog listed the following criteria for

selection of strains to be placed in the cataloged public collection (in descending order of

importance):

• Energy yield (growth rate x energy content)

• Type of fuel products available from biomass (hydrocarbon, diesel, alcohol,

methanol)

• Environmental tolerance range (temperature, salinity, pH)

• Performance in mass culture (highly competitive, predator resistant)

• Media supplementation requirements (addition of vitamins, trace minerals)

• Amount of culture and composition data available on the clone or strain

• Budget for the culture collection

Although conceptually sound, these criteria carried with them the requirement to characterize the

strains fairly extensively before a decision could be made as to whether they should be included

in the collection. This detailed characterization became increasingly difficult as the number of

strains available increased. As a consequence, many strains were maintained that were not

officially documented in the catalogs.

From the inception of the culture collection until the late 1980s, strains in the collection were

provided free of charge to anyone who requested them, with the hope that the research conducted

(and published) using these strains would increase the overall understanding of these organisms.

 

A Look Back at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Aquatic Species Program: Biodiesel from Algae

 

Prepared by: the

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

1617 Cole Boulevard

Golden, Colorado 80401-3393

A national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy

Operated by Midwest Research Institute

Under Contract No. DE-AC36-83CH10093

Edited January 18, 2010 by Genecks
Consecutive posts merged.