WORMBASE: A CORE DATA RESOURCE FOR C.ELEGANS BIOLOGY

秀丽隐杆线虫是基础生物学和生物医学研究的主要模式系统，也是第一种对其基因组、解剖结构和发育有完整描述的动物。需要三年的资助，将现有的ACeDB数据库扩展到WormBase，即一个模式生物数据库（MOD），完整覆盖有关该线虫的核心基因组、遗传、解剖和功能信息。这样的数据库对于整个生物医学研究界以及秀丽隐杆线虫研究人员充分利用9700万个碱基对基因组序列，19000个基因，以及对秀丽隐杆线虫进行密集的分子遗传分析的结果是必要的。因此，数据管理和用户界面将是两大优先事项。WormBase将包括基因组序列的最新注释，当前的遗传和物理图谱以及许多与细胞和基因的功能和相互作用以及发育和有机体行为相关的实验数据。将提供对生物材料来源的直接访问，例如隐杆线虫遗传中心的菌株收集，以及与其他机构维护的数据集的直接链接。数据将从现有资源、单个实验室的直接贡献和文献中恢复。虽然WormBase将作为一个中心论坛，通过它，每个实验室都可以为全面了解这种后生生物的全球努力做出建设性的贡献，但WormBase的专业策展人将确保数据源的详细归属，并检查一致性和完整性。为了方便交流，WormBase将尽可能使用与其他模式生物数据库一致的术语和风格。WormBase将是基于网络的，易于使用。底层数据库管理器仍然是基于对象的Acedb数据库系统，它也可以在任何平台上本地使用。对Acedb的微小增强将满足数据集不断变化的优先级。项目的协调和主要的管理地点将在加州理工学院由秀丽隐杆线虫生物学家监督。基因组序列的管理和注释将在生成整个基因组序列的桑格中心和华盛顿大学这两个测序中心进行。蒙彼利埃团队将开发新的大规模项目的接口，如基因的系统失活，基因表达的系统分析，以及Kohara的大规模cDNA项目。新的用户界面的开发将在冷泉港进行，目前为ACeDB提供基于网络的访问。

Caenorhabditis elegans is a major model system for basic biological and biomedical research and the first animal for which there is a complete description of its genome, anatomy and development. Three years of funding is requested to extend an existing database, ACeDB, into WormBase, a Model Organism Database (MOD), with complete coverage of core genomic, genetic, anatomical and functional information about this nematode. Such a database is necessary to allow the entire biomedical research community as well as C. elegans researchers to make full use of the 97,000,000 basepair genomic sequence, with its 19,000 genes, and the results of intensive molecular genetic analysis of C. elegans. The two top priorities will thus be data curation and user interface. WormBase will include up-to-date annotation of the genomic sequence, the current genetic and physical maps and many experimental data connected to the function and interactions of cells and genes, as well as development and organismal behavior. Direct access to the sources of biological material, such as the strain collection of the Caenorhabditis Genetics Center and direct links to data sets maintained by others will be provided. Data will be recovered from the existing resources, from direct contribution of the individual laboratories, and from the literature. While WormBase will act as a central forum through which every laboratory will be able to contribute constructively to the global effort to fully comprehend this metazoan organism, WormBase professional curators will ensure detailed attribution of data sources and check consistency and integrity. To facilitate communication WormBase will use wherever possible terminology and style concordant with other model organism databases. WormBase will be Web-based and easy to use. The underlying database manager will remain the object-based Acedb database system, which can also be used locally on any platform. Minor enhancements to Acedb will meet the changing priorities of the data sets. Coordination of the project and the main curation site will be at Caltech under the supervision of a C. elegans biologist. Curation and annotation of genomic sequence will take place at the two sequencing centers, the Sanger Centre and Washington University, that generated the entire genome sequence. The Montpellier team will develop interfaces to new large-scale projects such as systematic inactivation of genes, systematic analysis of gene expression, and the large scale cDNA project of Kohara. Development of new user interfaces will take place at Cold Spring Harbor, currently providing Web-based access to ACeDB.