Q and A: Frequently Answered Questions

---

1. How to use Drosophila Genetic Resource Center †

Q. How can I get fly stocks? †

A. Please follow the procedure described below.

1. In order to get DGRC ID by registering yourself, go to the Registration Form Page at http://kyotofly.kit.jp/cgi-bin/stocks/mta.cgi

2. Fill in the form and click "submit". This form must be submitted by the principle investigator (person responsible for payments).

3. Your ID and password will be sent to you within seconds by email.

4. Search for stocks you are interested in. You can search for stocks by gene symbol(s) and also by clicking subcategory lists.

5. Follow the instructions on screen.

See also 'how-to' pages: How to Request Fly Stocks

Q. I registered with DGRC, but I have not received my DGRC ID. †

A. DGRC ID and password are sent automatically within seconds. If you have not received them within several minutes, the system is down or in some trouble. Please contact us via Web form.

If you submit wrong email address, we cannot send you ID. Before clicking submit button, please make sure that there is no insertion, deletion or inversion in your email.

Q. I forgot my password... †

A. Go to the Password Reminder. New password will be issued.

Input your DGRC ID and registered email address, and then click "Send". If you forgot DGRC ID and/or registered email address, contact us via Web form.

Q. Please tell me a cost of fly stocks. †

A. The cost of fly stocks is now charged (See a message from Prof Yamamoto, Director of DGRC).

We accept payment only by credit card (VISA or MasterCard only). We provide a system for online payment by credit card through a cryptographically protected connection, SSL (Secure Socket Layer).

To finish placing the order, you have to fulfill your credit card information (such as card numbers and expiration date), but this information will NOT be transmitted to the Drosophila Genetic Resource Center, Kyoto Institute of Technology.

Please see Payment and Fee Information

See also a message from the Finance Division and the Research Cooperation Division of Kyoto Institute of Technology: DearUsers20June2007.pdf(pdf) / DearUsers.html(html)

Q. When is a user charged for an annual fee for active account? †

A. Annual fee for active account is charged when the flies are shipped for the first time in the Japan's fiscal year, accompanying with other fees, such as stock costs, handling fee and postage.
Annual fee for active account is charged on Japan's Fiscal Year basis. From April to March of the next year is a fiscal year in Japan (2Q, 3Q, 4Q and the next year's 1Q). New fiscal year begins at the 1st of April.
Please note that annual fee is NOT a one-year-long fee. All of the users are inactivated in every April. Just registering with us is not going to be charged for annual fee for active account, that is because such user is NOT active.

Q. What is your shipping schedule? †

A. Drosophila Genetic Resource Center ships fly stocks every Wednesday (once a week). The order is closed every Thursday 3 pm GMT. We do not ship during Golden Week Holidays (early May), Summer Bon Holidays (mid-August) and New Year Holidays. See http://kyotofly.kit.jp/stocks/guidance.html#shipping_schedule Orders received after the deadline will be shipped after the holidays. Please place your order well in advance.

Q. Should I send import permit? †

A. Users in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan should note that we do not send Drosophila stocks without "import permit" or "label(s)". We recommend you to arrange the import permits before you make orders from us.

Please send your import permit to:

 Supply Group
 Drosophila Genetic Resource Center
 Kyoto Institute of Technology
 Saga Ippongi-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto 616-8354
 Japan

Users in Australia and Taiwan can also send import permit via fax or an email attachment file.

Facimile: +81-75-861-0881 or Email: Web form

Users in USA:
Import permit should NOT be sent by fax or email.
You can find the information at the webpage of the Bloomington Stock Center of Indiana University ( http://flystocks.bio.indiana.edu/Regulatory/import.htm ).

Q. Can I order many stocks at a time †

A. Yes, you can. You can order 200 stocks a week. At present DGRC Kyoto sends maximum 650 stocks a week in total.

1. Go to our website at http://kyotofly.kit.jp/stocks/
2. Click "Advanced search"
3. Input DGRC numbers separated by comma (,) in the input box of "DGRC Stock Number" in "Strain Search Form". Although this input box is small, it accepts a lot of stock numbers.
4. Then, order stocks as usual.

Q. Is it possible to conduct genetic screen with all of GS lines? †

A. Yes, it is, but we do not provide a special order method. Please order flies as usual (maximum 200 stocks a week). If you need some help, feel free to contact us via Web form.

Q. Before ordering transgenic flies, what should I do? †

A. Transgenic flies of DGRC are regulated under Japanese laws and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The regulation at the P1A level is required regarding safe handling, storage, transport and use. Before ordering transgenic flies, you have to complete all the necessary formalities at your institute and your country.

Q. How can I express acknowledgements in papers? †

A. Thank you very much. We suggest using the following statement: "The fly stock was obtained from Drosophila Genetic Resource Center at Kyoto Institute of Technology."

Please send hard copies or reprints of all publications resulting from our stocks or email us pdf files. It will be very helpful for us to operate the center with continuous support from Japanese government.

Q. How can I deposit fly stocks to DGRC? †

A. Thank you very much for your contribution to the fly community. Please find out more about stock deposition at http://www.dgrc.kit.ac.jp/about_dgrc/stock-deposition_e.html and contact us via Web form.

2. Stock Information †

Q. What kind of flies stocks does DGRC have? †

A. In addition to fly stocks which used to be maintained at CALTEC, National Institute of Genetics and Kyoto Institute of Technology, DGRC has about 2,300 stocks from the Umea Stock Center, Sweden, about 3,400 stocks of sublines from the Bloomington Stock Center, Indiana University, USA (including deficiency kits), several P-element insertion lines (4,300 NP lines, 4,500 GS lines, 880 LA lines, 360 ProteinTrap lines, 1,300 FRT-lethal lines, 500 DrosDel lines) and other lines. About 1,850 MARCM lines (PBac{DsRed} insertion strains) are also available.

Q. How can I get information on each stock? †

A. Try FlyBase for each gene. You can get more information on GS lines, ProteinTrap lines and FRT-lethal lines from each Database as follows.

• NP lines
  NP lines (GETDB lines) are Gal4 enhancer trap lines (P{GawB} element-insertion lines) of which 3' flanking sequences of the inserted element, expression pattern and affected gene(s) were examined. We have about 4300 lines available for distribution.
  All contents of GETDB (Gal4 Enhancer Trap Insertion Database) are integrated into the database of Drosophila Genetic Resource Center, Kyoto Institute of Technology. Although You may not search for stocks, the legacy pages (http://kyotofly.kit.jp/stocks/GETDB/) may help you understand how and by whom the "NP stocks" were made.

• GS lines
  GS lines are insertion lines of P{GS} element (gene search vector) and generated by Drosophila Gene Search Project organized by Toshiro Aigaki, Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University. All insertions were mapped to the genome sequence, which can be searched with name of gene, CG, CT, or cytological map position. We have about 4500 lines available for distribution.
  See Drosophila Gene Search Project http://gsdb.biol.metro-u.ac.jp/~dclust/

• ProteinTrap lines
  Protein trap lines were created by using an intron protein trap strategy (Morin et al., 2001). DNA sequence and subsequent mapping information from the inserted P-element, and expression patterns of the tagged proteins were examined. We have about 360 lines available for distribution.
  See FlyTrap: GFP Protein Trap Database http://flytrap.med.yale.edu/

• FRT-lethal (BruinFly) lines
  Each stock has a lethal P-element insertion and a FRT elemnet on the 2L, 2R, 3L or 3R chromosome arm. Somatic reconbinations by using FLP generates mosics of homozygous for a lethal P-element, heterozygous and homozygous for wild type. We have about 1,300 lines available for distribution.
  See BruinFly website http://www.bruinfly.ucla.edu/

• DrosDel deficiency collection
  This is a second-generation deficiency kit for Drosophila melanogaster composed of molecularly mapped deletions on an isogenic background, covering 77% of the genome, established by researchers in European countries.
  Detail information will be obtained from DrosDel home page: http://www.drosdel.org.uk/index.html

• PBac{DsRed} insertion strains
  This collection consists of about 2,000 strains possessing the autosomal insertions of a new piggyBac vector, made by the laboratory of Professor L. Luo at Stanford University. The strains have following properties: 1) all strains have a insertion inside ~1400 independent transcriptional units; 2) all insertions are on FRT bearing chromosomes; 3) the piggyBac vector have splicing acceptor and a termination of translation in all three frames, thus improving mutagenicity; 4) the marker on the vector is a DsRed protein, enabling easier viewing of mosaic clones labeled with GFP.

We are sorry but we do not have all of the stocks in the above database. Please make sure if the fly stocks you want are maintained at DGRC before placing order.

A database for LA lines is under construction at this moment.

Q. How can I get detailed information on a specific stock? †

should also activate cookies of your browser. The GETDB uses cookie information of the browser.)

A. Example for DGRC# 204405
DGRC# 204405 is GS 12961. Go to the Drosophila Gene Search Project (DGSP) at http://gsdb.biol.metro-u.ac.jp/~dclust/index.html You can use "Chromosome Map View" page.

Search for GS number 12961. You will find data including nucleotide map and sequences. The page is below.

THE PAGE

(If you cannot open the page, go to the home of DGSP. Then you can open the above page. You should also activate cookies of your browser. The DGSP page uses cookie information of the browser.)

Q. How can I get information on each stock other than its genotype? †

A. Click DGRC Number on the Search Result page. A new window will open and you will find information on each stock.

3. Others †

Q. I cannot find the fly stocks I am looking for! †

A. Sorry! Answer for New System is now under construction.

Q. I cannot place order! †

A1. See How to Request Fly Stocks

• Flash video
• html

A2. The Ordering System uses JavaScript. Use a browser with JavaScript ON.
For encrypted communication, SSL should be activated.
For user authentication, your browser feeds our cookies.
Your browser should allow to pop up a window (used in the 3D Secure ["Verified by VISA" or "MasterCard Secure Code"]).
Old browsers with lower version may behave wrong.

Recommended Browsers
・Windows: Internet Explorer 6, Firefox 2, Safari 3 or later
・Macintosh: Firefox 2, Safari 1.3.2 or later
NOTE: Browsers on Mac OS9 do not behave normally.

Q. I received a package without females/ larvae/ all are dead. †

A. We strictly check all of the fly stocks before dispatch. We are afraid if you find any stocks under those circumstances, please let us know with stock number(s), DGRC ID and name of PI as soon as possible via Web form. We will send flies again for free.

Q. The phenotype of a fly stock I received does not seem to be consistent with its genotype. †

A. Please let us know via Web form. Your information may be added to the comment for the users. You may find additional information on the comments section of each stock or on FlyBase.

DGRC provides donated fly stocks in their original condition. Please examine phenotype of the flies you received before using them for your experiments. Thank you for your understanding.

Q. The phenotype of a fly stock I received does not seem to be consistent with its genotype. The expected genotype is XXX / CyO. However, no Cy is present in the stock. †

A. In our culture stock, we sometimes found that the flies do not express Cy. It is possible that Cy phenotype is just not expressed. See page 531 in New 'Gray Book' (or page 533 in Gray Book), saying that, "The second problem with Cy is that on some balancers or on some genetic backgrounds, its expressivity can be weak even at 25 degrees C."

Q. The phenotype of a fly stock I received does not seem to be consistent with its genotype. The expected genotype is XXX / TM6B, Tb[1]. However, no Tb is present in the stock. †

A. In our culture stocks, we sometimes found that the flies do not express Tb. It is possible that Tb phenotype is just not expressed. Please examine whether the stock expresses Antp[Hu] (historically it is described as Hu). There are bristles on the normally bald propleurae just ventral to the mesothoracic spiracle.

Q. The fly stocks I requested were not included in the shipment. †

A. Your request may include the fly stocks that are not in a good condition. DGRC tries to delete stocks in unhealthy condition from our distribution list. Occasionally the list had not been updated when you placed order.

Q. Send me some fly stock. I would like to culture them for sale. †

A. We will not send flies for the person/organization for the purposes of profit-making business.

Q. Send me virgin flies. / Send me about 100 adult flies for my experiment. †

A. DGRC distributes ten to dozens of male and female flies. DGRC does not provide a service of technical assistance for your experiments. Thank you for your understanding and your support.

4. Fly culture †

Q. Do you have mites in your fly stocks? †

A. We are now confident to announce the success in elimination of mites from DGRC stocks. After consecutive quick transfers of all stocks, which took about four months, no mites have been found in thousands of stocks selected randomly (June 13, 2005). We continue the strict inspection and frequent transfers in order to avoid mites. If you find any problems in the stocks you received from us, please send an email via Web form.

Q. I would like to know DGRC recipe for Drosophila medium. †

A. Our fly food recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

1. Mix all ingredients except for propionic acid and methyl parahydroxybenzoate.
2. Boil them to 93 degrees C and cook for 30 minutes.
3. Add propionic acid and methyl parahydroxybenzoate solution.

This makes 30 liters of fly food.