NIAMS ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPLEMENTS TO INCREASE REPRESENTATION OF MUSCULOSKELETAL TISSUES AND SKIN IN CDNA DATABASES Release Date: October 3, 2000 NOTICE: AR-01-001 National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) announces the availability of administrative supplements to enable investigators currently supported by the NIAMS to contribute tissue samples and RNA preparations from musculoskeletal tissues and skin for analysis in on- going NIH-supported cDNA cloning and sequencing efforts. Increasing the representation of musculoskeletal tissues and skin in publicly accessible cDNA sequence databases such as the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project (CGAP) will facilitate the design of gene expression experiments in these tissues and may identify novel genes that are expressed at negligible or very low levels in other tissues. This announcement addresses a need identified in the NIAMS Strategic Plan (http://www.nih.gov/niams/strategicplan/index.htm). Many thousands of cDNAs have been cloned and sequenced to date. The results of these efforts have been incorporated into several public databases, such as CGAP (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/CGAP/), dbEST (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/dbEST/), and UniGene (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/UniGene/). Individual clones may be ordered from the I.M.A.G.E. Consortium at http://image.llnl.gov/. However, these resources consist chiefly of clones derived from intensively studied human tissues such as breast and prostate. While many of the genes represented by existing clones are undoubtedly expressed in musculoskeletal tissues and skin, there is little to indicate which genes should be included in analyses of these tissues. Further, it is likely that a significant number of genes are expressed predominantly or exclusively in specific musculoskeletal tissues and skin, and hence would not be represented in libraries prepared from other tissues. Finally, biological studies employing the mouse will require cDNA resources from mouse tissues, which are currently less well represented than human tissues. The NIAMS has entered into an agreement with the National Cancer Institute to enable investigators with expertise in handling musculoskeletal tissues and skin to submit tissue samples or RNA preparations to laboratories specializing in the construction of libraries and high-throughput cloning and sequencing. Principal Investigators of currently active NIAMS grants may request administrative supplements to cover the costs of preparing and submitting tissues or RNA for analysis under this agreement. The grant award to be supplemented must have at least one full year of originally obligated support remaining from the date of the supplement request. The cells or tissues proposed as a source of RNA must be in use in the investigator=s laboratory as part of on-going NIAMS-supported research. Investigators who propose to submit samples originating with human subjects are responsible for ensuring that informed consent for this use of tissue has been appropriately documented. RNA sources of interest include, but are not restricted to: primary cell cultures from bone, cartilage (growth plate and articular), synovium, tendon, ligament, skeletal muscle, and skin; established cell lines that exhibit properties of differentiated tissues such as those listed above; and tissue specimens representing biologically defined cell aggregates, such as zones of the growth plate, fracture callus, or pathological states of musculoskeletal tissues and skin. Samples may be from either human or mouse. In general, intact cells or tissues are preferred, so that RNA isolation procedures optimized for library construction may be used. However, investigators having experience with specialized techniques for recovering RNA from connective tissues that are refractory to standard methods may propose to submit RNA isolated by these specialized techniques. Library construction usually requires approximately one gram of tissue or three micrograms of purified RNA. Each library prepared from submitted material will carry a unique identifier under which resulting sequence data may be retrieved from the CGAP database. Sequenced clones will be made available through the I.M.A.G.E. Consortium. Requests for supplements should be submitted in the form of a letter, signed by the investigator and by an authorized institutional official, which contains the following information: o the title and identifying number of the grant that currently supports work with the cell or tissue source(s) o a description of the proposed cell or tissue source(s), noting the relationship to the NIAMS-supported research project, and addressing the question of informed consent if it is proposed to transfer samples originating with human subjects o a brief summary of the biological significance of the source(s) o a description of the methodology to be employed in preparing the sample(s), including standards that will be applied for the purity of RNA preparations o the number of cells, wet weight of tissue, or amount of RNA expected to be available from each source o the amount of supplemental funding requested o a brief summary of how the supplemental funds will be used. Requests will be reviewed by a committee of NIH staff and non-government scientists. The committee will consider the significance of the source (including the availability of sequences from similar sources already in the database), the adequacy of the methodology proposed for sample preparation, and the cost of the proposed supplement. It is expected that most supplements awarded for this purpose will be less than $10,000 direct costs. Requests for supplements greater than $10,000 direct costs must be rigorously justified. Requests should anticipate costs associated with express shipping of biological materials within the United States. Investigators whose requests are approved will be contacted at a later date regarding the details of transferring samples. Requests for supplements must be received before August 1, 2001. Requests should be sent to: William J. Sharrock, Ph.D. Extramural Program National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Natcher Building, Room 5AS-37A 45 Center Drive Bethesda, MD 20892-6500 Inquiries regarding programmatic issues should be directed to: William J. Sharrock, Ph.D. Extramural Program National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Natcher Building, Room 5AS-37A 45 Center Drive Bethesda, MD 20892-6500 Phone: 301-594-5055 Fax: 301-480-4543 e-mail: ws19h@nih.gov Inquiries regarding fiscal matters should be directed to: Melinda B. Nelson Grants Management Branch National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases 45 Center Drive, Room 5AS-49F, MSC 6500 Bethesda, MD 20892-6500 Telephone: (301) 594-3535 FAX: (301) 480-5450 Email: mn23z@nih.gov
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