BCCM/IHEM Fungi Collection, Mycology and Aerobiology, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
BCCM Coordination Cell, Belgian Science Policy, Brussels, Belgium.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2019 Oct 16;85(21). doi: 10.1128/AEM.01444-19. Print 2019 Nov 1.
In the context of open science, the availability of research materials is essential for knowledge accumulation and to maximize the impact of scientific research. In microbiology, microbial domain biological resource centers (mBRCs) have long-standing experience in preserving and distributing authenticated microbial strains and genetic materials (e.g., recombinant plasmids and DNA libraries) to support new discoveries and follow-on studies. These culture collections play a central role in the conservation of microbial biodiversity and have expertise in cultivation, characterization, and taxonomy of microorganisms. Information associated with preserved biological resources is recorded in databases and is accessible through online catalogues. Legal expertise developed by mBRCs guarantees end users the traceability and legality of the acquired material, notably with respect to the Nagoya Protocol. However, awareness of the advantages of depositing biological materials in professional repositories remains low, and the necessity of securing strains and genetic resources for future research must be emphasized. This review describes the unique position of mBRCs in microbiology and molecular biology through their history, evolving roles, expertise, services, challenges, and international collaborations. It also calls for an increased deposit of strains and genetic resources, a responsibility shared by scientists, funding agencies, and publishers. Journal policies requesting a deposit during submission of a manuscript represent one of the measures to make more biological materials available to the broader community, hence fully releasing their potential and improving openness and reproducibility in scientific research.
在开放科学的背景下，研究材料的可用性对于知识积累和最大限度地提高科学研究的影响至关重要。在微生物学领域，微生物领域生物资源中心（mBRC）在保存和分发经过验证的微生物菌株和遗传材料方面（例如重组质粒和 DNA 文库）具有悠久的经验，以支持新的发现和后续研究。这些培养物保藏中心在微生物生物多样性的保护中发挥着核心作用，并在微生物的培养、特性描述和分类学方面具有专业知识。与保存的生物资源相关的信息记录在数据库中，并可通过在线目录访问。mBRC 开发的法律专业知识保证了最终用户获得的材料的可追溯性和合法性，特别是在《名古屋议定书》方面。然而，人们对将生物材料存入专业存储库的优势的认识仍然很低，必须强调为未来研究保存菌株和遗传资源的必要性。本文通过其历史、不断变化的角色、专业知识、服务、挑战和国际合作，描述了 mBRC 在微生物学和分子生物学中的独特地位。它还呼吁增加菌株和遗传资源的储存，这是科学家、资助机构和出版商共同承担的责任。在提交手稿时要求存款的期刊政策是使更广泛的社区能够获得更多生物材料的措施之一，从而充分释放其潜力，并提高科学研究的开放性和可重复性。
