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ANNOUNCEMENT •

PLASMID REFERENCE CENTER

A pnetic stock center for plasmids carried by several species of bacteria has been initiated at the Department of Medical Microbiology, Stanford Univemty by Dr. Esther M. Lederberg with the support of the NIH. The aims of the Plasmid Reference Center include: (1) storage and distribution on request of a nucleus of strains carrying proto- type plasmids representing known incompatibility classes, those coding for important antibiotic resistance genes, and certain important derivative plas- raids, as well as others of high historical and research interest. (2) assignment of numerical R plasmid designations to investigators to avoid duplications. (3) preparation of a catalogue of plasmid isolates and their derivatives, includ- ing available primary information and pedigree records. (4) maintenance and assistance with a consistent glossary of terms and sym- bois such as proposed by the Plasmid Nomenclature Committee (Novick et al., Bactet~ml Rev., 40 (1976) 168--189). Inquiries may be directed to: Prof. Esther M. Lederberg

Plasmid Reference Center Department of Medical Microbiology Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305 (U.S.A.)