Pamela Soltis, a curator and distinguished professor of molecular systematics and evolutionary genetics at the Florida Museum of Natural History, discusses the museum’s Genetic Resource Repository, including its history and impact on research. Soltis, who also is a member of the UF Genetics Institute and director of the UF Biodiversity Initiative, is part of a team analyzing the genetic and molecular structure of DNA and RNA for numerous studies. The museum’s Genetic Resource Repository is a nitrogen-cooled freezer that stores samples of many different species of plants and animals at minus 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Interview and videos produced by Michael Suh for Explore Research at the University of Florida.
Transcript
Pamela Soltis: The genetic resource repository at the Florida Museum of Natural History is one of our newer collections at the Museum. It was established in 2005 with the purpose of housing DNA samples, RNA samples, and frozen tissues so that we could have these collections for molecular analysis over the long term.
Our genetic resource repository is one of the largest such facilities in the country and perhaps in the world. One of the things that is particularly special about our collection is that whereas certain collections might have only mammal tissues or DNAs, ours has tissues and DNAs from mammals, amphibians, fishes, marine invertebrates, plants, and lepidoptera all in the same collection, and really this makes us a unique collection within the United States, and perhaps the world.
Our collection has nearly 60,000 specimens representing DNA, RNA, and frozen tissues. These samples are expected to grow at a rate of about 10,000 to 20,000 per year over the next several years. In fact, we have hundreds of thousands of specimens within our museum collections that could contribute materials to this collection, and so over the course of the next couple of decades we would expect that our collection could expand into certainly the hundreds of thousands.
All of our samples are housed in a special liquid nitrogen freezer and this is done to preserve the integrity of the DNA and the cellular tissues and perhaps some of the other compounds that are located within the specimens. These freezers are approximately 321 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, or about 196 degrees below zero Celsius.
The genetic resources repository supports research both by members of the Florida Museum of Natural History, as well as members of the broader community of biological scientists. So for example we have specimens that may be requested by members of our own department who would like to conduct research on those specimens. So we’ve had researchers from throughout the U.S. and also from other countries that have requested some of our materials for use in their own scientific projects.
The purpose of our collection is to preserve genetic materials that can be used in research, both here at the museum and elsewhere in perpetuity. So, we’re really trying to make available museum specimens that have tremendous value for scientific research, for not only our current generation but for generations to come.
Learn more about the Genetic Resources Repository at the Florida Museum.