Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ Contents

Last updated 11/13/2009

DNASU Registration

Q. Do I have to register?
A. You do not have to register to search the database, download vector and clone maps, or view other information. However, you do have to register and sign in before placing a request. Registration is live so you will be able to sign in as soon as you have completed on-line registration. We recommend signing in before you start searching for plasmids because not all plasmids are visible before registration and it saves a few steps later if you plan on ordering plasmids.

Q. My PI is not on the registration list. How do I register?
A. You will need to fill out information for both yourself and the PI during registration. People from the same lab will be able to find their PI on the list the next time someone registers.

Q. I am the PI in addition to being the user who will place orders. How do I register?
A. Please enter your information in both the user and PI fields during registration.

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Searching for Plasmids

Q. What plasmids do you have in the repository?
The MR currently stores and distributes over 100,000 plasmids with inserts from 439 organisms in 291 vector backbones. You can see an overview of our collections here and order complete collections here. More specifically the repository has:

  • >37,000 human and mouse ORF clones in part created through the ORFeome Collaboration
  • A collection of over 500 human kinases
  • The complete (or almost complete) genomes of
    • Saccharomyces cerevisiae
    • Pseudomonas aeruginosa
    • Bacillus anthracis
    • Francisella  tularensis
    • Vibrio cholorae
    • Yersinia pestis
  • Protein Structure Initiative (PSI) protein expression plasmids
  • Nearly 400 plasmids containing truncation, domain swapped, or point mutations of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) created by SGX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in collaboration with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
  • A growing collection of clones used for antibody production created by the National Cancer Institute Clinical Proteomics Technologies for Cancer
  • Smaller collections of plasmids created by individual laboratories 

Q. How do I search for plasmids?
DNASU has many search options to provide you with multiple ways to find your plasmid(s) or interest. These searches are

  1. By gene identifier, which queries the database first by the species of interest and then by the gene symbol, Genbank Accession number, or Gene ID
  2. By clone identifier, which queries the database using the DNASU Clone ID, or other IDs such as TargetDB ID or Original Clone ID
  3. By vector, which queries the database by selecting desired properties of the vector from a list such as the cloning method used (e.g., Gateway®) or a particular expression feature (e.g., mammalian cell)
  4. By an advanced search, which is a combined query using keywords, gene symbol/name, vector name, species, author name and/or publication information.
  5. By PSI-specific criteria such as plasmids with inserts that have been documented to: (1) produce protein, (2) produce soluble protein, (3) produce purified protein, and (4) lead to a solved protein structure (by searching using PDB ID), for specific targets using the TargetDB ID or PDB ID, or for all plasmids from a particular PSI Center.
  6. By BLAST using blastn, tblastn, or tblastx with nucleotide sequence, amino acid sequence, Accession number or GI as the query. This feature will be available in the next few months!

Click here for all our search options.

Q. I did not find a plasmid of interest in your collection. Am I searching correctly?
A. There are several reasons who you may not be able to find your plasmid of interest. First, log in to ensure that you see all of the plasmids available to you.

Second, try using our most flexible search tool, the Advanced Text Search. There, you can use gene names and synonyms, author names, the part or full name of a vector, species name, PDB ID, TargetDB/PepcDB ID or combinations to search plasmids. It is also helpful to use official gene names and identifiers as they appear in databases such as NCBI Entrez Gene or organism-specific databases like SGD or FlyBase.

Finally, it is possible that your plasmid of interest isn't in the repository. However, feel free to email us for assistance searching for plasmids.

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Information about our Plasmids

Q. What's "closed" vs. "fusion" format?
A. This terminology, adopted by our repository, indicates that a stop codon is present (closed) or is absent (fusion) in a cDNA or ORF insert. Fusion format clones are useful for producing C-terminally tagged versions of an ORF. For some examples that help identify clones and fusion plasmids, click here.

Q. Can I use restriction enzymes with human clones in pDNR-Dual?
A. The human pDNR-Dual master clones were generated using the InFusion reaction (Clontech) rather than an restriction enzyme (RE) cloning approach and most of the RE sites in the MCS are gone after the insert is introduced. In the resulting master clones, the HindIII and SalI sites are present so that enzyme pair can be used to liberate the insert -- but beware! There could be HindIII or SalI sites in the insert.

Q. What is the difference between a "discrepancy" and a "mutation"?
A. Discrepancy is a term created by the repository that refers to differences between the actual clone sequence and the target sequence (that is, what the researchers were trying to clone in a specific cloning effort). Discrepancies can result when the clone recovered is an isoform or naturally occurring polymorphic form of the target sequence, or from PCR, replication, or other errors. Be sure to check the insert sequence to be sure that discrepancies that were deemed 'acceptable' to the repository are also acceptable to you.

Mutations we define as changes that are known or expected to affect function. We curate an insert as containing a mutation when the insert sequence is a known mutant form (e.g. cloned from a mutant allele) or when the clone was engineered to have a mutation (e.g. in a site-specific mutagenesis effort). Please be aware that there may OR MAY NOT be experimental evidence to support the idea that a particular naturally occurring or engineered mutation results in a constitutively active, inactive, etc. form. And be further cautioned ... neither 'discrepancy' nor 'mutation' is the last word on nucleotide differences between your actual clone and the wild-type form(s). Tags can come from vectors and not be annotated as part of the insert; mutations and deletions may not be clearly annotated or detected by those who shared clones; and recombination or replication errors can change clones over time. DNA sequencing provides an inexpensive and robust means to ask if the clone you received is indeed the clone you requested and that it meets your expectations. Please perform diagnostic tests before investing a lot of time in your experiments!

Q.What are the pDNR-Dual, pDONR201, pDONR221, etc. vectors?
A. Most clones generated in the LaBaer laboratory and shared with the repository are based on successful recombinational cloning methodologies such as the Clontech Creator system (LoxP sites) or the Invitrogen Gateway system (att sites). These flexible systems allow a single sequence-verified ORF ("master" or "donor" clone) to be used to create expression constructs for a variety of different techniques via recombination (few steps) rather than restriction enzyme cloning and ligation (several steps). In general, we keep the master clones in our collection because they give the most flexibility to the largest set of users. But in some cases, we also have expression versions. "Entry" or "acceptor" vectors used in combination with master clones to create expression constructs are available from a number of different sources, including Clontech and Invitrogen.

Q. Do cDNA/ORF plasmids in your repository have 5' or 3' UTRs?
A. No. The majority of our collection (including human, yeast, and more) come from projects in which only the open reading frames (ORFs) were cloned.

Q. Can I get help identifying a large sub-group of clones bioinformatically?
A. Yes. Bioinformaticists in the Center for Personalized Diagnostics may be willing to collaborate with you to identify specific sub-groups of clones that share some property (biochemical function, sub-cellular localization, up-regulated in a tissue tested by microarray, etc.). Please contact us to initiate this kind of collaborative bioinformatics-based work. Requests are reviewed and accepted on a case-by-case basis. Please note that we make some bioinformatically organized groups of clones available for view and request on the clone collections page (for example, human kinase collections and the BC1000 genes associated with breast cancer).

Q. Who should I cite if my work with a clone requested via DNASU results in publication?
A. The people who put in the hard work to make the clone and any appropriate references should be cited! You should be able to find this information on the clone detail page (click on the CloneID to get there). Look for clone authors and PubMed IDs (vectors can also have associated authors and PubMed IDs).

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Ordering Plasmids

Q. How do I place a request for plasmids?
A. Once you identify a plasmid of interest (in a search results table or on a static list, for example), click the button at the far right-hand side of the page to add it to your shopping cart. When you are ready to check out, click the shopping cart icon to initiate check-out and follow the steps, being sure to click the button at the bottom until your request is confirmed.

Q. How do I know if my request went through or when I will receive the plasmid?
A. After you place a request, our system will send a confirmation email. You can sign in at any time to view the status of your request. In addition, you will receive an email when the plasmid is shipped, including FedEx tracking information.

Requests are filled in the order in which they are received. If you are part of the Expedited MTA network, your order will be filled within 7-10 business days. If you are not part of the network, your order will be filled within 7-10 business days after we have received your signed MTA. If your order is for more than 96 plasmids, please contact us for an estimated shipping date.

Q. Can I view info about the clones I requested and check request status?
A. You can always return to past requests and check request status by signing in and going to "my accounts" (top right of the page). Click on a specific clone order then look for the link at the bottom (# of clones) that takes you to a table of information lets you download an Excel spreadsheet with basic information about the clones.

Q. How much do plasmids cost?
A. Please see current pricing for individual clones or plates of 96 clones here. Large collections are priced separately, and the price is listed here.

Q. Why am I charged for a plasmid?
A. These nominal costs are designed to offset the handling fees associated with preparing and sending plasmids. In keeping with the terms outlined by our granting agencies, our aim is always to offset costs, never to make a profit. In addition, we make an effort to significantly reduce the per-clone costs for large collections in order to encourage high-throughput studies.

Q. How much does shipping cost?
A. There are two ways to pay for shipping: Provide us with you FedEx number. Otherwise you will be charged a flat shipping rate of $10 for domestic orders and $20 for international orders. Please note that larger collections may have an additional shipping charge. Also, Arizona state sales tax of 6.3% will be added to all orders from Arizona institutions (not including orders from ASU).

Q. How can I pay for these plasmids?
A. You can pay using a purchase order number. We are currently developing our credit card payment option (using a third party provider called Quickpay), which should be available soon.

Q. Where does the repository ship to?
A. The repository plasmids all over the world following all applicable US Export laws. If your country is not on the list of countries that we ship to, please contact us so we can add it to our list.

Q. In what form will I receive the plasmids?
A. We send plasmids as glycerol stocks at room temperature. When you receive these plasmids, you can immediately streak them on a plate containing the appropriate antibiotic, or store the glycerol stock at -80 degrees until you are ready to use it.

Q. Can I pick up my plasmids from your facility?
A. Yes, we now have the option to pick up plasmids from our facility. However, you MUST have access to the Biodesign building to take advantage of this option. If you do not have access to the Biodesign building at ASU, please choose an option other than "Pick Up." We will send you an email when your plasmids are ready for pickup, detailing the location of the pick up freezer.

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Terms of Purchase and Use

Q. Are there Terms of Purchase and Use for orders placed at DNASU?
A. Yes. You can find our Terms of Use and Purchase here. Please do not place an order for plasmids if you do not agree to these terms.

Q. Can I use plasmids I order from DNASU in a publication?
A. Absolutely! However, please be sure to give proper credit to the researcher who deposited the plasmid. This information can be found by clicking on the clone details page and finding the listed author. If you would like to reference the PSI-MR, please cite our publication in Nucleic Acids Research

Material Transfer Agreements

Q. Will I need to get a signature on an MTA?
A. For certain plasmids, yes you will need an MTA signature. We will be sure to identify the correct MTA and send it to you electronically to be signed by the appropriate official in your technology transfer office.

More specifically, if you are at an:

  • Academic/Not-for Profit Institution: FLEX Gene plasmids are covered by our Standard Plasmid Transfer Agreement, a minimally restrictive MTA sent with clones. For some clones and for some institutions, however, you will have to have this MTA signed by an authorized official at your institution before we can send the clones. In a few exceptional cases, you will have to get a third-party MTA signed before we can send the clone, as all or part of the clone is covered by MTAs from more than one institution. Contact us for more information about MTAs, including information about how to join our 'in network' group with pre-approved MTA coverage. If you request clones and an MTA is required, the MTA will be emailed to you as a PDF file.
  • Company: Most of the HIP FLEXGene clones are available to companies and will be covered by a minimally restrictive MTA between ASU and your company. We will email the MTA after you place a request. You are also welcome to get in touch to review the terms before placing your request.

Q. How will I know which MTA to use?
A. You can identify whether an MTA will be required for the plasmid(s) you request by clicking on the CloneID number. This will bring you to a page with additional information about your plasmid, and the "Special MTA" column will indicate if any special MTA is needed.

Q. How do I return the MTA to DNASU?
A. An original signed copy of the MTA can be returned to:

Dr. Catherine Cormier
Center for Personalized Diagnostics
Biodesign Institute
Arizona State University
1001 S. McAllister Dr.
Tempe, AZ 85287-6401

To expedited this process, email the MTA or fax the MTA to (480) 965-3051, informing us by email that you are doing so. Once we receive the signed MTA, your order will be shipped with 7-10 business days.

Q. Can we make this MTA process easier and faster?
A. YES!!! We have developed an Expedited Process MTA that your institution signs and allows all researchers at that institution to receive all plasmids from our collection with only an electronic signature. Please email us if you are interested in starting this process with your institution. For more information about the Expedited Process MTA see our recently published paper in Nucleic Acids Research.

Q. What is an Expedited Process MTA?
A. The most common concern we encounter when distributing plasmids relates to the complexity of MTA processing and the long delays that this causes.  We have sought to implement procedures that simplify and expedite the MTA process.  The concept for our Expedited Process is that we obtain an institutional MTA signature for the collection in advance.   This pre-signed MTA covers the vast majority of our collection of materials that has no appreciable intellectual property or liability issues. Once signed, any researcher from that recipient institution can request anything from the collection and receive it immediately because the institutional signature is already in place.  We have implemented this expedited process successfully for the past 3 years amongst 70 institutions, and members of our network routinely request plasmids and receive them without delay. We are currently working on recreating this network at ASU and already have a network of 26 institutions. For more information about the Expedited Process MTA see our recently published paper in Nucleic Acids Research.

Q. What are the advantages of using an Expedited Process MTA vs. a standard MTA?

  • Researchers do not have to get their institution to sign an MTA each time they order plasmids.
  • We can process orders faster because do not have to send MTAs for each order - this means that users receive their plasmids orders faster!
  • Plasmids with licensing concerns are dealt with using an addendum to the EP-MTA. This means that even when we add new plasmids to our collection, the EP-MTA your institution signed is still valid.

Q. Who at my institution can use this Expedited Process to receive plasmids?
A. Once the institution has signed the Expedited Process Agreement, it allows anyone at the institution to order plasmids without having to get an MTA signed. 

Q. When is the recipient institution notified that a scientist has requested materials?
A. We have two mechanisms in place to inform your office of plasmids ordered and received by researchers at your institution.  First, when the researcher orders plasmids, before personally agreeing to the terms of the MTA, they are reminded to contact the technology transfer office if there are internal regulations at your institution that they must follow.  The researcher will see this text (in bold):  "Please insure that you have complied with all of your institution's internal regulations for material transfer before placing this order."  Second, we will provide you (or a designated individual at your institution) with a report annually (or whenever you request) of the researchers who have ordered plasmids from us and what they have received.

Q. Are the special intellectual property terms available for the recipient institution to review in advance of the scientist's request for the materials? 
A. Intellectual property terms differ on a plasmid by plasmid basis.  Most of our plasmids do not have any intellectual property issues, and therefore, will be covered by out Standard Plasmid Transfer Agreement.  If there are intellectual property issues for particular plasmids, we will not use this expedited process.  Rather, we will send you our standard plasmid transfer agreement with either an addendum or letter to be signed that covers the terms for the intellectual property found within that plasmid.

We are acutely aware of third party materials, and we will not distribute any materials that have IP issues under this pre-approved MTA. If there are additional terms required by these third parties, we will distribute these materials in the "old" way by sending the researcher the MTA to be processed by the Technology Transfer Office. However, in our collection of over 100,000 plasmids only a small percentage (<5%) have additional terms for their distribution (hence why we have initiated this expedited process).

Q. Has my institution already signed the expedited process MTA?
A. Click here to see if your institution has already approved the expedited process MTA. If not, please contact us.

Q. What can I do to get my institution to sign an Expedited Process MTA?
A. Please contact us, and we will work with you and your institution to agree to the EP-MTA. All your institution must do is fill in the information in the Expedited Process Agreement, and have both this and the Standard Plasmid Transfer Agreement signed by your institution's authorized individual.  Because we do not have to countersign the agreement, just send one copy to Dr. Catherine Cormier at the following address:

Center for Personalized Diagnostics
Biodesign Institute
Arizona State University
1001 S. McAllister Ave.
Tempe, AZ 85287-6401

Once we receive this, we will add you to our network.  If you would like to expedite this process, please feel free to email a scanned pdf of the signed documents, and your institution will immediately be added to the network.

Q. My institution is already part of the Expedited MTA network at Harvard. Does my institution need to join the network at ASU as well?
A. Yes. Although the PlasmID Repository is still in operation at HMS, DNASU will be the exclusive distributor of the PSI and other plasmid collections at ASU. Therefore, joining the Expedited MTA network with ASU will give your researchers access to additional plasmid resources that they will not be able to obtain from Harvard.

Q. Are there any differences between the Harvard and ASU Expedited MTA Processes?
A. There are a few very minor changes to the MTA as compared to the Harvard agreement. First, we have updated the indemnification to account for state and federal institutions' regulations. Second, we have several plasmid collections that have special intellectual property associated with them that can now be distributed with a special addendum to the MTA. Two such addendum are included in the MTA that I have attached, which provides even faster access to these plasmids to your researchers! Similar to the Harvard system, we will still track and manage all of these orders in our database, and provide you with annual reports outlining who has received plasmids within your institution and what they received.

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How to Deposit Plasmids

Q. How do I deposit my clones?
A. Click here or contact us at for more information about depositing clones in our collection. See our slide show for an overview of the repository and the submission process. The three steps to deposit clones are:

  1. Have your institution sign the Depositors Agreement. This agreement sets the terms by which the plasmid repository will distribute your plasmids. Contact us to see if your institution has already signed a depositor agreement. Otherwise we will contact your technology transfer office to begin the process. Click here for more information about depositor agreements.
  2. Prepare the data describing the details about your clones. Because we parse the data directly into our database, we ask that the information you send us is in a particular format. We have submission forms and templates that should guide you in this process.
  3. Once we have entered your data into our database, we can accept your plasmid samples. These can be sent on dry ice either as DNA (10-15ul of at least 15ng/ul) or glycerol stocks. If you send glycerol stocks the bacteria MUST BE T1/T5 phage resistant. Once we receive your samples, we will make them available for purchase through PlasmID.

Q. What types of plasmids cannot be shared with the repository?
A. Four types of plasmids cannot be added to the repository:

  1. Plasmids that require an unusual or specific bacterial host strain cannot be added, as we require that all plasmids are stored here in a phage-resistant DH5-alpha-like host strain, in order to maintain the integrity of the collection as a whole.
  2. Plasmids that are identical to material that is commercially available cannot be added to our collection.
  3. Plasmids that are hazardous or legally restricted for distribution cannot be added to the repository.
  4. Plasmids that you do not have the right to distribute (for example, plasmids you received from another researcher and/or made by another person and/or protected by a patent, licensing agreement, etc.) cannot be shared with us unless permission is also granted by any and all relevant third parties. Sometimes this extends even to modified forms of a plasmid. In general, you can share plasmids that you made or made significant modifications, but you cannot share unmodified forms of something you got from another researcher or a company.

Q. How are plasmids stored and handled after I share them?
A. When you share plasmids with the repository, we transform them into a phage-resistant bacterial host strain, single colony isolate, and create working and archival glycerol stocks. These are stored in conventional -80 degree freezers (archival copies) or in the fully automated BioBank freezer storage system, in which working samples are stored in individually 2D barcode-labeled tubes for automated retrieval and array in any format. Information is carefully curated by PhD-level scientists and entered into the database.

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Depositor Agreements

Q. What is a Depositors Agreement?
A. The Depositors Agreement sets forth the terms that allow the PSI Material Repository to distribute the plasmids that PSI researchers deposit. Here is our standard Depositor Agreement.

Q. Why is a Depositors Agreement needed?
A. To put this agreement in context, the DNASU plasmid repository and the PSI-MR contains both large and small collections of plasmids deposited by both for-profit and not for-profit institutions. Because we manage so many collections, it would be impossible to keep track of separate agreements or specialized provisions within agreements from individual institutes.  Thus, we found we needed a universal agreement, which evolved into the Depositor Agreement.

Q. Why can’t we just use a universal MTA (UB-MTA)?
A. At first blush, we know it is tempting to ask, "Why do we need a Depositor Agreement - why can't we just use a standard MTA?"  This is not possible, because virtually all MTAs expressly prohibit the recipient of the material from further distributing it.   Moreover, because MTAs assume that there will be no further distribution, they do not address critical liability and indemnification issues.  We specifically explored the possibility of using the UB-MTA and found that it would not work.  First, because it is an MTA, it is not designed for use by a distributor - it is meant to accompany material that is provided by the institution that produced the material. Moreover, in our experience, use of the UB-MTA had other problems; the document is long, restrictive and not well-recognized overseas.

Q. What should I do if I want to deposit plasmid(s) that contain features that have third party intellectual property?
A. This is not a problem, although we will need to come to an agreement with the entity that controls the feature of the plasmid(s) that is covered by intellectual property laws. This agreement will provide the protocol for distribution of this plasmid and possibly an addendum to the EP-MTA. In many cases these so-called "third party" issues only apply if a company buys that plasmid. In this case, the most common outcome is that the company will have to obtain a license from the third party before receiving the particular plasmid(s). Contact your Office of Technology Transfer or Office of General Counsel if you are unsure if your plasmids contain intellectual property.

Q. Who has signed the Depositors Agreement?
A. Click here to see who has signed the Depositors Agreement.  If your institution has not yet signed, please contact us so we can work together to expedite this process.

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Protein Structure Initiative (PSI) FAQ

Click here for more detailed information about the PSI Materials Repository.
Click here for more detailed information about the PSI.
For more information about the PSI-MR see our recently published paper in Nucleic Acids Research.

Q. What is the PSI-Material Repository (PSI-MR)?
A. The PSI-MR was established in 2006 with the purpose of collecting, annotating, sequence-verifying, storing, maintaining, and distributing plasmids made by PSI researchers.

Q. Where do I find information about depositing my PSI clones with the repository?
Contact us or click here to find more information about depositing your PSI plasmids with the PSI-MR.

Q. How many PSI plasmids are available?
Check here to see all the available PSI clones. We are adding new clones weekly, so check back often.

Q. I was part of PSI-1, do I also deposit my plasmids with you?
Yes. Please contact us if you are a PSI-1 site so we can start the process with you.

Q. Can I also deposit non-PSI clones with the PSI-MR?
Absolutely! See here for more information or contact us to discuss the details.

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