Aspergillus Genome Database

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The genus Aspergillus contains the opportunistic pathogen, A. fumigatus, as well as the genetic model A. nidulans. Aspergillus fumigatus, found throughout the world, is the most common cause of invasive mold infections in humans and is responsible for the highest number of human deaths among pathogenic fungi. Importantly, even with treatment, mortality still remains at least 50%. Of concern is the fact that non-fumigatus Aspergillus infections are also on the rise. Indeed, over two dozen Aspergillus species have been reported to cause aspergillosis, a collection of conditions that ranges from allergy and sinusitis to life-threatening invasive infection. The Aspergillus Genome Database (AspGD) contains accurate genome sequence, derived features and up-to-date literature-based gene and protein information for Aspergillus species. AspGD has become an indispensible resource for members of the fungal research community, enabling them to take full advantage of their collective research efforts, and to accelerate discovery. There are more Aspergillus genome sequences publicly available than there are for any other fungal genus, including Saccharomyces and Candida. Along with its medical relevance and experimental tractability, this wealth of genomic sequences makes the Aspergilli the premiere fungal species for comparative genomic studies. The goal of this renewal proposal is to continue to serve the Aspergillus research community by integrating high quality literature curation with the best possible primary genome annotations in a comparative genomics framework. We will take full advantage of the deluge of high-throughput data that are now being generated and published to make improvements to reference sequences, and to refine the annotation of genes within the genomes. Furthermore, we will provide users with the ability to query, compare and visualize these data intuitively. In this way, we will help to accelerate research into the Aspergilli, by enabling researchers to access relevant annotation information juxtaposed with high- throughput datasets. The allocation of resources to maintain and expand a carefully curated Aspergillus public database will continue to accelerate Aspergillus research, and in doing so will aid in the fight against A. fumigatus and non-fumigatus Aspergillus infections, and thus significantly positively impact human health.