XenMine: A genomic interaction tool for the Xenopus community

Uncovering the mesendoderm gene regulatory network through multi-omic data integration

Mesendodermal specification is one of the earliest events in embryogenesis, where cells first acquire distinct identities. Cell differentiation is a highly regulated process that involves the function of numerous transcription factors (TFs) and signaling molecules, which can be described with gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Cell differentiation GRNs are difficult to build because existing mechanistic methods are low throughput, and high-throughput methods tend to be non-mechanistic. Additionally, integrating highly dimensional data composed of more than two data types is challenging. Here, we use linked self-organizing maps to combine chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq)/ATAC-seq with temporal, spatial, and perturbation RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data from Xenopus tropicalis mesendoderm development to build a high-resolution genome scale mechanistic GRN. We recover both known and previously unsuspected TF-DNA/TF-TF interactions validated through reporter assays. Our analysis provides insights into transcriptional regulation of early cell fate decisions and provides a general approach to building GRNs using highly dimensional multi-omic datasets.

Xenbase: a genomic, epigenomic and transcriptomic model organism database

Xenbase (www.xenbase.org) is an online resource for researchers utilizing Xenopus laevis and Xenopus tropicalis, and for biomedical scientists seeking access to data generated with these model systems. Content is aggregated from a variety of external resources and also generated by in-house curation of scientific literature and bioinformatic analyses. Over the past two years many new types of content have been added along with new tools and functionalities to reflect the impact of high-throughput sequencing. These include new genomes for both supported species (each with chromosome scale assemblies), new genome annotations, genome segmentation, dynamic and interactive visualization for RNA-Seq data, updated ChIP-Seq mapping, GO terms, protein interaction data, ORFeome support, and improved connectivity to other biomedical and bioinformatic resources.

AgBioData consortium recommendations for sustainable genomics and genetics databases for agriculture

The future of agricultural research depends on data. The sheer volume of agricultural biological data being produced today makes excellent data management essential. Governmental agencies, publishers and science funders require data management plans for publicly funded research. Furthermore, the value of data increases exponentially when they are properly stored, described, integrated and shared, so that they can be easily utilized in future analyses. AgBioData (https://www.agbiodata.org) is a consortium of people working at agricultural biological databases, data archives and knowledgbases who strive to identify common issues in database development, curation and management, with the goal of creating database products that are more Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. We strive to promote authentic, detailed, accurate and explicit communication between all parties involved in scientific data. As a step toward this goal, we present the current state of biocuration, ontologies, metadata and persistence, database platforms, programmatic (machine) access to data, communication and sustainability with regard to data curation. Each section describes challenges and opportunities for these topics, along with recommendations and best practices.

Toolbox in a tadpole: Xenopus for kidney research

Xenopus is a versatile model organism increasingly used to study organogenesis and genetic diseases. The rapid embryonic development, targeted injections, loss- and gain-of-function experiments and an increasing supply of tools for functional in vivo analysis are unique advantages of the Xenopus system. Here, we review the vast array of methods available that have facilitated its transition into a translational model. We will focus primarily on how these methods have been employed in the study of kidney development, renal function and kidney disease. Future advances in the fields of genome editing, imaging and quantitative 'omics approaches are likely to enable exciting and novel applications for Xenopus to deepen our understanding of core principles of renal development and molecular mechanisms of human kidney disease. Thus, using Xenopus in clinically relevant research diversifies the narrowing pool of "standard" model organisms and provides unique opportunities for translational research.