The operation of the Facility centers on the Genetix Arraying Robot, a large flatbed robotic arm with video camera used to produce bacterial macro-array libraries and filters. This year we upgraded our robot to the latest design. Ancillary equipment in support of robot library construction including automated medium handling equipment and an automated DNA preparation unit are also housed in the Facility. An additional robotic DNA preparation machine is situated in the PIs laboratory and is available for Facility high-throughput use. We currently maintain in 80°C freezers 27 different echinoderm libraries comprising a total of approximately 3 million arrayed clones. In addition to providing these materials to academic research groups, we also offer the opportunity for outside groups from Caltech and elsewhere to array and spot their own libraries.
Our robot utilization for the past year was quite consistent and efficient. We arrayed a total of 1.28 million library clones and printed a total of 285 filters. The in-house jobs consisted of reprinting filters from 4 existing libraries and both arraying and printing of 4 new libraries. We also re-arrayed our S. purpuratus BAC library for use by the sequencing effort. The four new libraries extended the comparative genomics aspect of the Facility by adding a new sea star genomic BAC library and both cDNA and BAC libraries for the related sea urchin species, Arbacia punctulata. In support of the Sea Urchin Genome Project, we produced an extension of our original genomic BAC library using a different restriction enzyme for cloning. This will reduce any unevenness in the representation of particular genomic regions by reducing cloning bias. For outside users, we trained and supervised two off-campus groups and four on-campus groups. One of the groups associated with the Southwest Medical Branch, San Antonio, Texas came to us through our connection to the National Center for Research Resources, the agency that provides a large portion of Facility support. The staff for the facility are Eve Helguero and Autumn Yuan.