WormBase: expanding the reference resource for helminth research

现代医学的许多发展都建立在过去50年来我们对基因如何工作的理解上取得的巨大进步的基础上。许多疾病都是由基因故障以某种方式引起的，了解基因的功能可以设计针对特定故障的诊断工具和治疗方法。导致这一进展的大部分研究都很难在人类身上完成。因为所有的动物都是进化的亲缘关系，研究简单的动物有助于理解人类的生物学。某些关键的模式生物一直是深入研究的重点。其中之一是微小的线虫，线虫，秀丽线虫。线虫的研究得到了MRC 50多年的支持，获得了两次诺贝尔奖，是我们理解细胞死亡和衰老等基本过程的关键贡献者。除了与了解人类生物学有关外，对线虫的研究对我们了解寄生虫的生物学尤为重要。全球有10多亿人感染寄生线虫，包括引起河盲症的丝状线虫和引起象皮病的布鲁氏菌；钩虫、鞭虫和巨型蛔虫等肠道线虫。通常情况下，感染与贫困有关，并会促进贫困。通过获得被研究生物体的完整DNA序列(基因组)，遗传研究已经发生了革命性的变化，其中包含所有的基因序列。线虫是第一个完成基因组测序的动物，现在主要项目正在收集寄生物种的基因组序列。要使用基因组序列和所有关于基因的新信息，需要将DNA信息与实验数据联系在一起的信息资源，并将动物中相应的基因联系起来。这一应用程序将支持WormBase的开发，WormBase是线虫所有基因组和生物学数据的参考信息资源，对于使用这种模式生物进行基础研究至关重要。该应用程序还将支持WormBase的扩展，以包括为越来越多的寄生线虫整理基因组和实验信息，并扩大范围以包括曼氏血吸虫，一种寄生扁虫。对这两种寄生蠕虫(扁虫和线虫)的研究有许多共同之处，尽管它们的进化距离很远，而WormBase现在将支持这两个领域的基础研究。通过将寄生虫学和基础科学研究联系起来，WormBase处于独特的地位，通过应用为线虫开发的信息、技术基础设施和管理专业知识，能够在社区范围内利用出现的寄生虫数据。

Many developments in modern medicine are based on the enormous progress made over the last 50 years in our understanding of how our genes work. Many diseases are caused by genes malfunctioning in some way, and understanding the function of genes allows to design diagnostic tools and treatments against specific malfunctions. Much of the research that has led to this progress is difficult to do in humans. Because all animals are related by evolution, study of simple animals helps to understand human biology. Certain key model organisms have been the focus of intensive study. One of these is the tiny roundworm, or nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans research has been supported by the MRC for over 50 years, leading to two Nobel prizes, and is a key contributor to our understanding of basic processes such as cell death and ageing. In addition to its relevance for understanding human biology, research on C. elegans is particularly important to our understanding of the biology of parasitic worms. Globally, more than one billion people are infected with parasitic nematodes, including filarial nematodes, such as Onchocerca that causes river blindness, and Brugia that causes elephantiasis; intestinal nematodes such as hookworms, whipworms and giant roundworms. Typically infections are associated with and promote poverty. Genetic research has been revolutionized by obtaining the complete DNA sequence (the genome) of the organism being studied, which contains all the gene sequences. C. elegans was the first animal to have its genome sequenced and now major programmes are collecting genome sequences for parasitic species. To use genome sequences and all the new information about genes requires information resources that tie together DNA information with experimental data, and relate corresponding genes across animals. This application will support the development of WormBase, the reference information resource for all genomic and biological data for C. elegans that is essential for fundamental research using this model organism. The application will also support the expansion of WormBase to include the curation of genomic and experimental information for increasing numbers of parasitic nematodes, and an expansion in scope to include Schistosoma mansoni, a parasitic flatworm. Research into both types of parasitic worms (flatworms and nematodes) has much in common despite their evolutionary distance and WormBase will now support fundamental research in both these areas. By relating parasitology and basic science research, WormBase is uniquely placed to enable community-wide exploitation of data emerging for parasites by applying information, technological infrastructure, and curatorial expertise developed for C. elegans.