[Coral-List] Coral Genome Sequencing (3)

[craigdowns]

Dear Coral List Serv,

Below is an example of a good letter of endorsement, and an excellent
model that could be used to format your own letters of endorsement.  We
cannot emphasize too strongly how important it will be to have letters
like this.  Unlike most U.S. National Institutes of Health grant
solicitations, the letters of support are a significant part of the
process.  The PURPOSE for obtaining your letters of endorsement is to
solicit federal funding from the U.S National Institutes of Health to
help fund aspects of the coral genome sequencing project.

I also want to re-iterate - this project is a non-profit, non-commercial
endeavor for the public welfare.  The sequence data will be published in
a scientific, peer-reviewed journal and the entire genome deposited to
GenBank, a gene sequence repository that is publicly and freely
accessible, and maintained by a U.S. federal agency, the National Center
for Biotechnology Information, a joint center of the U.S. National
Institutes of Health and the U.S. National Library of Medicine.  

The Principle Investigator of this Project is Dr. Gary Ostrander, Assoc.
Provost of Johns Hopkins University.  A formula of success found in
other scientific disciplines is the partnering of academic, non-profit,
government, and industry institutions to solve and address major
scientific and technological obstacles- a formula we are applying to
succeed in obtaining the sequence of the coral genome - again, a data
set that will be readily accessible to all.  

If you have any questions concerning any facet of this collaborative
project, please don't hesitate to contact:

Gary Ostrander
Craig Downs
Cheryl Woodley (Cheryl.woodley at noaa.gov)

Sincerely,

Craig

				10 September 2003

		Dear Gary,

				Re : Sequencing of Porites lobata genome

		I am writing to strongly support the sequencing of
Porites lobata project. I have been studying the influence of
environmental and anthropogenic effects on coral growth and survival in
both the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific (e.g. 1-4).  I am interested in the
cloning of genes of small heat shock proteins in corals which in other
systems (5) are key to survival.   If the Porites sequence were
available we could download the sequence, make PCR primers and screen
for mutations in corals at risk from bleaching and sedimentation.  In
addition, we could use positional cloning to follow transport of genetic
material in corals across spatio-temporal regions, and build up a much
better picture of how corals adapt to survive.  This will aid policies
on coral reef management.  Thirdly, we could answer important questions
in symbiotic relationships in biology on the potential transfer of
genetic material from zooxanthellae to polyp genomes.  This project will
transform our ability to obtain funding and train students in modern
molecular biology techniques in environmental science. 
		References
		1. Crabbe, M.J.C. (2003) A novel method for the
transport and analysis of genetic material from polyps and zooxanthellae
of scleractinian corals.  J. Biochem. Biophys. Methods. 57, 171-176.
		2. Crabbe, M.J.C. and Smith, D.J. (2003) Computer
modelling and estimation of recruitment patterns of non-branching coral
colonies at three sites in the Wakatobi Marine Park, SE Sulawesi,
Indonesia; Implications for coral reef conservation.  Computational
Biology and Chemistry. 27, 17-27. 
		3. Crabbe, M.J.C. and Smith, D.J. (2002) Comparison of
two reef sites in the Wakatobi Marine National Park (SE Sulawesi,
Indonesia) using digital image analysis. Coral Reefs. 21: 242-244
		4. Crabbe, M.J.C., Mendes, J.M. and Warner, G.F. (2002)
Lack of recruitment of non-branching corals in Discovery Bay is linked
to severe storms.  Bull. Marine Sci. 70, 939-945.
		5. Plater, M.L., Goode, D. and Crabbe, M.J.C. Effects of
site-directed mutations on the chaperone-like activity of alpha-B
crystallin.  J. Biol. Chem. (1996) 271, 28558-28566.


		Yours sincerely,


		Professor M.J.C. Crabbe

________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Craig A. Downs
President
EnVirtue Biotechnologies, Inc.
35 W. Piccadilly Street
Winchester, Virginia 22601   U.S.A.

Phone: 540-723-0597
Fax: 540-723-0598
www.envirtue.com

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