The RNAcentral database of non-coding RNAs

在分子生物学中，中心法则认为DNA中的基因编码RNA。然后RNA分子被翻译成蛋白质，蛋白质是在细胞中执行主要过程的微型机器。直到最近才清楚，许多基因编码RNA，RNA不翻译成蛋白质，并且在细胞中作为RNA执行重要功能。这些分子通常被称为非编码RNA。生物学的大部分焦点都集中在DNA和蛋白质上，但最近对非编码RNA的兴趣激增。事实上，从RNA制造蛋白质的微型机器，称为核糖体，本身就是一个基于RNA的机器。非编码RNA也被证明广泛参与调节其他基因的水平。非编码RNA领域的研究和创新，以及更广泛的分子生物学，受到缺乏权威和全面的资源收集所有已知的非编码RNA的阻碍。有超过20种不同的在线数据库包含有关不同类型RNA分子的信息。这些资源中的每一个都以不同的方式提供信息。这些资源的分散性使得生物学家几乎不可能发现与其研究领域相关的非编码RNA。在这个提案中，我们将创建一个新的在线资源来收集关于非编码RNA的信息。这个资源名为RNAcentral，它将是一个保存多种类型信息的中央仓库。其中最重要的信息被称为RNA序列。许多现有的RNA资源（称为RNAcentral专家数据库）将使用软件和界面向RNAcentral提供数据，这些软件和界面将作为本提案的一部分创建。曼彻斯特大学的一个名为miRBase的特定专家数据库将测试向RNAcentral提供数据的系统。RNAcentral将保存关于每种类型RNA的共同信息。对于更多专业信息，RNAcentral将提供返回RNAcentral专家数据库的链接。为了使RNAcentral资源具有成本效益，我们将重新使用和修改欧洲核苷酸档案和Ensembl Genomes已经使用的代码。这两个数据库位于剑桥附近的欧洲生物信息学研究所。到该项目结束时，来自英国和世界其他地区的研究人员将能够获得单一的RNA序列信息资源。这些信息将以各种方式免费提供，包括通过网站和可下载的数据库。

In molecular biology, the central dogma says that the genes in DNA code for RNA. RNA molecules are then translated into proteins that are the mini-machines that carry out the main processes in the cell. It is only recently apparent that many genes code for RNAs, which are not translated into proteins, and which carry out important functions in the cell as RNA. These molecules are often known as non-coding RNAs. Much of the focus in biology has been on DNA and proteins, but recently there has been a surge of interest in non-coding RNAs. In fact, the mini-machine that makes proteins from RNA, called the ribosome, has itself been shown to be an RNA-based machine. Non-coding RNAs have also been shown to be widely involved in regulating the levels of other genes.Research and innovation in the area of non-coding RNAs, and in molecular biology more generally, is hampered by the lack of an authorative and comprehensive resource collecting together all known non-coding RNAs. There are over 20 different online databases that contain information about different types of RNA molecules. Each of these resources makes their information available in different ways. The scattered nature of these resources makes it nearly impossible for biologists to discover what is known about non-coding RNAs related to their research area. In this proposal, we will create a new online resource to collect together information about non-coding RNAs. This resource, called RNAcentral, will be a central warehouse for holding many types of information. The most important information stored is called the sequence of the RNA. Many existing RNA resources (called RNAcentral Expert Databases) will provide their data to RNAcentral using software and interfaces that will be created as part of this proposal. One specific expert database, called miRBase, based at the University of Manchester, will test out the systems for providing data to RNAcentral. RNAcentral will hold the common information about each type of RNA. For more specialised information, RNAcentral will provide links back to the RNAcentral Expert Databases.In order to make the RNAcentral resource cost effective, we will be reusing and modifying code that is already in use by the European Nucleotide Archive and Ensembl Genomes. These two databases are based at the European Bioinformatics Institute near Cambridge. By the end of this project, researchers from around the UK and the rest of the world will have access to a single resource of RNA sequence information. This information will be freely available in a variety of ways including via a website and as a downloadable database.