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Reiser L, Bakker E, Subramaniam S, Chen X, Sawant S, Khosa K, Prithvi T, Berardini TZ. The Arabidopsis Information Resource in 2024. Genetics 2024; 227:iyae027. [PMID: 38457127 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyae027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Since 1999, The Arabidopsis Information Resource (www.arabidopsis.org) has been curating data about the Arabidopsis thaliana genome. Its primary focus is integrating experimental gene function information from the peer-reviewed literature and codifying it as controlled vocabulary annotations. Our goal is to produce a "gold standard" functional annotation set that reflects the current state of knowledge about the Arabidopsis genome. At the same time, the resource serves as a nexus for community-based collaborations aimed at improving data quality, access, and reuse. For the past decade, our work has been made possible by subscriptions from our global user base. This update covers our ongoing biocuration work, some of our modernization efforts that contribute to the first major infrastructure overhaul since 2011, the introduction of JBrowse2, and the resource's role in community activities such as organizing the structural reannotation of the genome. For gene function assessment, we used gene ontology annotations as a metric to evaluate: (1) what is currently known about Arabidopsis gene function and (2) the set of "unknown" genes. Currently, 74% of the proteome has been annotated to at least one gene ontology term. Of those loci, half have experimental support for at least one of the following aspects: molecular function, biological process, or cellular component. Our work sheds light on the genes for which we have not yet identified any published experimental data and have no functional annotation. Drawing attention to these unknown genes highlights knowledge gaps and potential sources of novel discoveries.
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2
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Aleksander SA, Balhoff J, Carbon S, Cherry JM, Drabkin HJ, Ebert D, Feuermann M, Gaudet P, Harris NL, Hill DP, Lee R, Mi H, Moxon S, Mungall CJ, Muruganugan A, Mushayahama T, Sternberg PW, Thomas PD, Van Auken K, Ramsey J, Siegele DA, Chisholm RL, Fey P, Aspromonte MC, Nugnes MV, Quaglia F, Tosatto S, Giglio M, Nadendla S, Antonazzo G, Attrill H, Dos Santos G, Marygold S, Strelets V, Tabone CJ, Thurmond J, Zhou P, Ahmed SH, Asanitthong P, Luna Buitrago D, Erdol MN, Gage MC, Ali Kadhum M, Li KYC, Long M, Michalak A, Pesala A, Pritazahra A, Saverimuttu SCC, Su R, Thurlow KE, Lovering RC, Logie C, Oliferenko S, Blake J, Christie K, Corbani L, Dolan ME, Drabkin HJ, Hill DP, Ni L, Sitnikov D, Smith C, Cuzick A, Seager J, Cooper L, Elser J, Jaiswal P, Gupta P, Jaiswal P, Naithani S, Lera-Ramirez M, Rutherford K, Wood V, De Pons JL, Dwinell MR, Hayman GT, Kaldunski ML, Kwitek AE, Laulederkind SJF, Tutaj MA, Vedi M, Wang SJ, D'Eustachio P, Aimo L, Axelsen K, Bridge A, Hyka-Nouspikel N, Morgat A, Aleksander SA, Cherry JM, Engel SR, Karra K, Miyasato SR, Nash RS, Skrzypek MS, Weng S, Wong ED, Bakker E, Berardini TZ, Reiser L, Auchincloss A, Axelsen K, Argoud-Puy G, Blatter MC, Boutet E, Breuza L, Bridge A, Casals-Casas C, Coudert E, Estreicher A, Livia Famiglietti M, Feuermann M, Gos A, Gruaz-Gumowski N, Hulo C, Hyka-Nouspikel N, Jungo F, Le Mercier P, Lieberherr D, Masson P, Morgat A, Pedruzzi I, Pourcel L, Poux S, Rivoire C, Sundaram S, Bateman A, Bowler-Barnett E, Bye-A-Jee H, Denny P, Ignatchenko A, Ishtiaq R, Lock A, Lussi Y, Magrane M, Martin MJ, Orchard S, Raposo P, Speretta E, Tyagi N, Warner K, Zaru R, Diehl AD, Lee R, Chan J, Diamantakis S, Raciti D, Zarowiecki M, Fisher M, James-Zorn C, Ponferrada V, Zorn A, Ramachandran S, Ruzicka L, Westerfield M. The Gene Ontology knowledgebase in 2023. Genetics 2023; 224:iyad031. [PMID: 36866529 PMCID: PMC10158837 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 232] [Impact Index Per Article: 232.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The Gene Ontology (GO) knowledgebase (http://geneontology.org) is a comprehensive resource concerning the functions of genes and gene products (proteins and noncoding RNAs). GO annotations cover genes from organisms across the tree of life as well as viruses, though most gene function knowledge currently derives from experiments carried out in a relatively small number of model organisms. Here, we provide an updated overview of the GO knowledgebase, as well as the efforts of the broad, international consortium of scientists that develops, maintains, and updates the GO knowledgebase. The GO knowledgebase consists of three components: (1) the GO-a computational knowledge structure describing the functional characteristics of genes; (2) GO annotations-evidence-supported statements asserting that a specific gene product has a particular functional characteristic; and (3) GO Causal Activity Models (GO-CAMs)-mechanistic models of molecular "pathways" (GO biological processes) created by linking multiple GO annotations using defined relations. Each of these components is continually expanded, revised, and updated in response to newly published discoveries and receives extensive QA checks, reviews, and user feedback. For each of these components, we provide a description of the current contents, recent developments to keep the knowledgebase up to date with new discoveries, and guidance on how users can best make use of the data that we provide. We conclude with future directions for the project.
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Scarpin MR, Busche M, Martinez RE, Harper LC, Reiser L, Szakonyi D, Merchante C, Lan T, Xiong W, Mo B, Tang G, Chen X, Bailey-Serres J, Browning KS, Brunkard JO. An updated nomenclature for plant ribosomal protein genes. Plant Cell 2023; 35:640-643. [PMID: 36423343 PMCID: PMC9940865 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koac333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M Regina Scarpin
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California – Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Plant Gene Expression Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Albany, California 94710, USA
| | - Michael Busche
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Ryan E Martinez
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Lisa C Harper
- Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
| | - Leonore Reiser
- The Arabidopsis Information Resource, Phoenix Bioinformatics, Fremont, California 94538, USA
| | - Dóra Szakonyi
- Plant Molecular Biology, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Catharina Merchante
- Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea “La Mayora” (IHSM-UMA-CSIC), Facultad de Ciencias, Campus, de Teatinos, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - Ting Lan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Plant Epigenetics, Longhua Bioindustry and Innovation Research Institute, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Wei Xiong
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Plant Epigenetics, Longhua Bioindustry and Innovation Research Institute, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Beixin Mo
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Plant Epigenetics, Longhua Bioindustry and Innovation Research Institute, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Guiliang Tang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Life Science and Technology Institute, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, USA
| | - Xuemei Chen
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences and Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute of Integrative Genome Biology, University of California – Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, USA
| | - Julia Bailey-Serres
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences and Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute of Integrative Genome Biology, University of California – Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, USA
| | - Karen S Browning
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - Jacob O Brunkard
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California – Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Plant Gene Expression Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Albany, California 94710, USA
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4
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Abstract
The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR; http://arabidopsis.org) is a comprehensive web resource of Arabidopsis biology for plant scientists. TAIR curates and integrates information about genes, proteins, gene function, orthologs, gene expression, mutant phenotypes, biological materials such as clones and seed stocks, genetic markers, genetic and physical maps, genome organization, images of mutant plants, protein sub-cellular localizations, publications, and the research community. The various data types are extensively interconnected and can be accessed through a variety of web-based search and display tools. This article primarily focuses on some basic methods for searching, browsing, visualizing, and analyzing information about Arabidopsis genes and genomes. Additionally, we describe how members of the community can share data via JBrowse and the Generic Online Annotation Submission Tool (GOAT) in order to make their published research more accessible and visible. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: TAIR homepage, sitemap, and navigation Basic Protocol 2: Finding comprehensive information about Arabidopsis genes Basic Protocol 3: Using the Arabidopsis genome browser: JBrowse Basic Protocol 4: Using the Gene Ontology annotations for gene discovery and gene function analysis Basic Protocol 5: Using gene lists to download bulk datasets Basic Protocol 6: Using TAIR's analysis tools to find short sequences and motifs Basic Protocol 7: Using the TAIR generic online annotation tool (GOAT) to submit functional annotations for Arabidopsis (or any other species) genes Basic Protocol 8: Using PhyloGenes to visualize gene families and predict functions Basic Protocol 9: Using TAIR to browse Arabidopsis literature Basic Protocol 10: Using the synteny viewer to find and display syntenic regions from Arabidopsis and other plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Peifen Zhang
- Phoenix Bioinformatics, Newark, California, USA
- Computercraft, Washington, District of Columbia, Columbia, USA
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5
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Zhang P, Berardini TZ, Ebert D, Li Q, Mi H, Muruganujan A, Prithvi T, Reiser L, Sawant S, Thomas PD, Huala E. PhyloGenes: An online phylogenetics and functional genomics resource for plant gene function inference. Plant Direct 2020; 4:e00293. [PMID: 33392435 PMCID: PMC7773024 DOI: 10.1002/pld3.293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
We aim to enable the accurate and efficient transfer of knowledge about gene function gained from Arabidopsis thaliana and other model organisms to other plant species. This knowledge transfer is frequently challenging in plants due to duplications of individual genes and whole genomes in plant lineages. Such duplications result in complex evolutionary relationships between related genes, which may have similar sequences but highly divergent functions. In such cases, functional inference requires more than a simple sequence similarity calculation. We have developed an online resource, PhyloGenes (phylogenes.org), that displays precomputed phylogenetic trees for plant gene families along with experimentally validated function information for individual genes within the families. A total of 40 plant genomes and 10 non-plant model organisms are represented in over 8,000 gene families. Evolutionary events such as speciation and duplication are clearly labeled on gene trees to distinguish orthologs from paralogs. Nearly 6,000 families have at least one member with an experimentally supported annotation to a Gene Ontology (GO) molecular function or biological process term. By displaying experimentally validated gene functions associated to individual genes within a tree, PhyloGenes enables functional inference for genes of uncharacterized function, based on their evolutionary relationships to experimentally studied genes, in a visually traceable manner. For the many families containing genes that have evolved to perform different functions, PhyloGenes facilitates the use of evolutionary history to determine the most likely function of genes that have not been experimentally characterized. Future work will enrich the resource by incorporating additional gene function datasets such as plant gene expression atlas data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dustin Ebert
- Department of Preventive MedicineUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCAUSA
| | - Qian Li
- Phoenix BioinformaticsFremontCAUSA
| | - Huaiyu Mi
- Department of Preventive MedicineUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCAUSA
| | - Anushya Muruganujan
- Department of Preventive MedicineUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCAUSA
| | | | | | | | - Paul D. Thomas
- Department of Preventive MedicineUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCAUSA
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6
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Attrill H, Gaudet P, Huntley RP, Lovering RC, Engel SR, Poux S, Van Auken KM, Georghiou G, Chibucos MC, Berardini TZ, Wood V, Drabkin H, Fey P, Garmiri P, Harris MA, Sawford T, Reiser L, Tauber R, Toro S. Annotation of gene product function from high-throughput studies using the Gene Ontology. Database (Oxford) 2019; 2019:5304975. [PMID: 30715275 PMCID: PMC6355445 DOI: 10.1093/database/baz007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
High-throughput studies constitute an essential and valued source of information for researchers. However, high-throughput experimental workflows are often complex, with multiple data sets that may contain large numbers of false positives. The representation of high-throughput data in the Gene Ontology (GO) therefore presents a challenging annotation problem, when the overarching goal of GO curation is to provide the most precise view of a gene's role in biology. To address this, representatives from annotation teams within the GO Consortium reviewed high-throughput data annotation practices. We present an annotation framework for high-throughput studies that will facilitate good standards in GO curation and, through the use of new high-throughput evidence codes, increase the visibility of these annotations to the research community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Attrill
- FlyBase, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge , UK
| | - Pascale Gaudet
- CALIPHO group, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Centre Medical Universitaire, rue Michel Servet, CH Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Rachael P Huntley
- Institute of Cardiovascular Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ruth C Lovering
- Institute of Cardiovascular Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Stacia R Engel
- Saccharomyces Genome Database, Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Sylvain Poux
- Swiss-Prot group, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Centre Medical Universitaire, rue Michel Servet, CH Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Kimberly M Van Auken
- WormBase, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - George Georghiou
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marcus C Chibucos
- Evidence and Conclusion Ontology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, W Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Tanya Z Berardini
- The Arabidopsis Information Resource, Phoenix Bioinformatics, Redwood City, CA, USA
| | - Valerie Wood
- PomBase, Cambridge Systems Biology Centre and Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Sanger Building, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Harold Drabkin
- Mouse Genome Informatics, Department of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, The Jackson Laboratory, Main St., Bar Harbor, ME, USA
| | - Petra Fey
- dictyBase, Biomedical Informatics Center and Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Penelope Garmiri
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Midori A Harris
- PomBase, Cambridge Systems Biology Centre and Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Sanger Building, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tony Sawford
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Leonore Reiser
- The Arabidopsis Information Resource, Phoenix Bioinformatics, Redwood City, CA, USA
| | - Rebecca Tauber
- Evidence and Conclusion Ontology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, W Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sabrina Toro
- Zebrafish Information Network, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
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7
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Reiser L, Harper L, Freeling M, Han B, Luan S. FAIR: A Call to Make Published Data More Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Mol Plant 2018; 11:1105-1108. [PMID: 30076986 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2018.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Leonore Reiser
- The Arabidopsis Information Resource/Phoenix Bioinformatics, Fremont, CA 94538, USA.
| | - Lisa Harper
- Maize Genome Database/United States Department of Agriculture, Albany, CA 94710, USA.
| | - Michael Freeling
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Bin Han
- National Center for Gene Research, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200233, China
| | - Sheng Luan
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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8
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Harper L, Campbell J, Cannon EKS, Jung S, Poelchau M, Walls R, Andorf C, Arnaud E, Berardini TZ, Birkett C, Cannon S, Carson J, Condon B, Cooper L, Dunn N, Elsik CG, Farmer A, Ficklin SP, Grant D, Grau E, Herndon N, Hu ZL, Humann J, Jaiswal P, Jonquet C, Laporte MA, Larmande P, Lazo G, McCarthy F, Menda N, Mungall CJ, Munoz-Torres MC, Naithani S, Nelson R, Nesdill D, Park C, Reecy J, Reiser L, Sanderson LA, Sen TZ, Staton M, Subramaniam S, Tello-Ruiz MK, Unda V, Unni D, Wang L, Ware D, Wegrzyn J, Williams J, Woodhouse M, Yu J, Main D. AgBioData consortium recommendations for sustainable genomics and genetics databases for agriculture. Database (Oxford) 2018; 2018:5096675. [PMID: 30239679 PMCID: PMC6146126 DOI: 10.1093/database/bay088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Harper
- Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Ames, IA, USA
| | | | - Ethalinda K S Cannon
- Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Ames, IA, USA
- Computer Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Sook Jung
- Horticulture, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Monica Poelchau
- National Agricultural Library, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, USA
| | | | - Carson Andorf
- Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Ames, IA, USA
- Computer Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Arnaud
- Bioversity International, Informatics Unit, Conservation and Availability Programme, Parc Scientifique Agropolis II, Montpellier, France
| | - Tanya Z Berardini
- The Arabidopsis Information Resource, Phoenix Bioinformatics, Fremont, CA, USA
| | | | - Steve Cannon
- Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Ames, IA, USA
| | - James Carson
- Texas Advanced Computing Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Bradford Condon
- Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Laurel Cooper
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Nathan Dunn
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Christine G Elsik
- Division of Animal Sciences and Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Andrew Farmer
- National Center for Genome Resources, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | | | - David Grant
- Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Emily Grau
- National Center for Genome Resources, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - Nic Herndon
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Zhi-Liang Hu
- Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, USA
| | - Jodi Humann
- Horticulture, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Pankaj Jaiswal
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Clement Jonquet
- Laboratory of Informatics, Robotics, Microelectronics of Montpellier, University of Montpellier & CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Marie-Angélique Laporte
- Bioversity International, Informatics Unit, Conservation and Availability Programme, Parc Scientifique Agropolis II, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Gerard Lazo
- Crop Improvement and Genetics Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Albany, CA, USA
| | - Fiona McCarthy
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | | | | | | | - Sushma Naithani
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Rex Nelson
- Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Daureen Nesdill
- Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Carissa Park
- Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, USA
| | - James Reecy
- Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, USA
| | - Leonore Reiser
- The Arabidopsis Information Resource, Phoenix Bioinformatics, Fremont, CA, USA
| | | | - Taner Z Sen
- Crop Improvement and Genetics Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Albany, CA, USA
| | - Margaret Staton
- Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | | | | | - Victor Unda
- Horticulture, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Deepak Unni
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Liya Wang
- Plant Genomics, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Doreen Ware
- USDA, Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Plant Genomics, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Jill Wegrzyn
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Jason Williams
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, DNA Learning Center, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Margaret Woodhouse
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Jing Yu
- Horticulture, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Doreen Main
- Horticulture, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
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9
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Reiser L, Subramaniam S, Li D, Huala E. Using the
Arabidopsis
Information Resource (TAIR) to Find Information About
Arabidopsis
Genes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 60:1.11.1-1.11.45. [DOI: 10.1002/cpbi.36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Donghui Li
- Phoenix Bioinformatics Fremont California
| | - Eva Huala
- Phoenix Bioinformatics Fremont California
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10
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Reiser L, Berardini TZ, Li D, Muller R, Strait EM, Li Q, Mezheritsky Y, Vetushko A, Huala E. Sustainable funding for biocuration: The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) as a case study of a subscription-based funding model. Database (Oxford) 2016; 2016:baw018. [PMID: 26989150 PMCID: PMC4795935 DOI: 10.1093/database/baw018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Databases and data repositories provide essential functions for the research community by integrating, curating, archiving and otherwise packaging data to facilitate discovery and reuse. Despite their importance, funding for maintenance of these resources is increasingly hard to obtain. Fueled by a desire to find long term, sustainable solutions to database funding, staff from the Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR), founded the nonprofit organization, Phoenix Bioinformatics, using TAIR as a test case for user-based funding. Subscription-based funding has been proposed as an alternative to grant funding but its application has been very limited within the nonprofit sector. Our testing of this model indicates that it is a viable option, at least for some databases, and that it is possible to strike a balance that maximizes access while still incentivizing subscriptions. One year after transitioning to subscription support, TAIR is self-sustaining and Phoenix is poised to expand and support additional resources that wish to incorporate user-based funding strategies. Database URL: www.arabidopsis.org.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonore Reiser
- Phoenix Bioinformatics, The Arabidopsis Information Resource, 643 Bair Island Rd. Suite 403, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA
| | - Tanya Z Berardini
- Phoenix Bioinformatics, The Arabidopsis Information Resource, 643 Bair Island Rd. Suite 403, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA
| | - Donghui Li
- Phoenix Bioinformatics, The Arabidopsis Information Resource, 643 Bair Island Rd. Suite 403, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA
| | - Robert Muller
- Phoenix Bioinformatics, The Arabidopsis Information Resource, 643 Bair Island Rd. Suite 403, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA
| | - Emily M Strait
- Phoenix Bioinformatics, The Arabidopsis Information Resource, 643 Bair Island Rd. Suite 403, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA
| | - Qian Li
- Phoenix Bioinformatics, The Arabidopsis Information Resource, 643 Bair Island Rd. Suite 403, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA
| | - Yarik Mezheritsky
- Phoenix Bioinformatics, The Arabidopsis Information Resource, 643 Bair Island Rd. Suite 403, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA
| | - Andrey Vetushko
- Phoenix Bioinformatics, The Arabidopsis Information Resource, 643 Bair Island Rd. Suite 403, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA
| | - Eva Huala
- Phoenix Bioinformatics, The Arabidopsis Information Resource, 643 Bair Island Rd. Suite 403, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA
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11
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Berardini TZ, Reiser L, Li D, Mezheritsky Y, Muller R, Strait E, Huala E. The Arabidopsis information resource: Making and mining the "gold standard" annotated reference plant genome. Genesis 2015; 53:474-85. [PMID: 26201819 PMCID: PMC4545719 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.22877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 608] [Impact Index Per Article: 67.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2015] [Revised: 07/15/2015] [Accepted: 07/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) is a continuously updated, online database of genetic and molecular biology data for the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana that provides a global research community with centralized access to data for over 30,000 Arabidopsis genes. TAIR's biocurators systematically extract, organize, and interconnect experimental data from the literature along with computational predictions, community submissions, and high throughput datasets to present a high quality and comprehensive picture of Arabidopsis gene function. TAIR provides tools for data visualization and analysis, and enables ordering of seed and DNA stocks, protein chips, and other experimental resources. TAIR actively engages with its users who contribute expertise and data that augments the work of the curatorial staff. TAIR's focus in an extensive and evolving ecosystem of online resources for plant biology is on the critically important role of extracting experimentally based research findings from the literature and making that information computationally accessible. In response to the loss of government grant funding, the TAIR team founded a nonprofit entity, Phoenix Bioinformatics, with the aim of developing sustainable funding models for biological databases, using TAIR as a test case. Phoenix has successfully transitioned TAIR to subscription-based funding while still keeping its data relatively open and accessible.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Donghui Li
- Phoenix Bioinformatics, Redwood City, California
| | | | | | - Emily Strait
- Phoenix Bioinformatics, Redwood City, California
| | - Eva Huala
- Phoenix Bioinformatics, Redwood City, California
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12
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Li D, Dreher K, Knee E, Brkljacic J, Grotewold E, Berardini TZ, Lamesch P, Garcia-Hernandez M, Reiser L, Huala E. Arabidopsis database and stock resources. Methods Mol Biol 2014; 1062:65-96. [PMID: 24057361 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-62703-580-4_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
The volume of Arabidopsis information has increased enormously in recent years as a result of the sequencing of the reference genome and other large-scale functional genomics projects. Much of the data is stored in public databases, where data are organized, analyzed, and made freely accessible to the research community. These databases are resources that researchers can utilize for making predictions and developing testable hypotheses. The methods in this chapter describe ways to access and utilize Arabidopsis data and genomic resources found in databases and stock centers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghui Li
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, USA
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13
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Jaiswal P, Avraham S, Ilic K, Kellogg EA, McCouch S, Pujar A, Reiser L, Rhee SY, Sachs MM, Schaeffer M, Stein L, Stevens P, Vincent L, Ware D, Zapata F. Plant Ontology (PO): a Controlled Vocabulary of Plant Structures and Growth Stages. Comp Funct Genomics 2011; 6:388-97. [PMID: 18629207 PMCID: PMC2447502 DOI: 10.1002/cfg.496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2005] [Revised: 10/21/2005] [Accepted: 11/07/2005] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The Plant Ontology Consortium (POC) (www.plantontology.org) is a collaborative effort among several plant databases and experts in plant systematics, botany and genomics. A primary goal of the POC is to develop simple yet robust and extensible controlled vocabularies that accurately reflect the biology of plant structures and developmental stages. These provide a network of vocabularies linked by relationships (ontology) to facilitate queries that cut across datasets within a database or between multiple databases. The current version of the ontology integrates diverse vocabularies used to describe Arabidopsis, maize and rice (Oryza sp.) anatomy, morphology and growth stages. Using the ontology browser, over 3500 gene annotations from three species-specific databases, The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) for Arabidopsis, Gramene for rice and MaizeGDB for maize, can now be queried and retrieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pankaj Jaiswal
- Department of Plant Breeding 240 Emerson Hall Cornell University Ithaca NY 14853 USA
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14
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Lamesch P, Dreher K, Swarbreck D, Sasidharan R, Reiser L, Huala E. Using The
Arabidopsis
Information Resource (TAIR) to Find Information About
Arabidopsis
Genes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; Chapter 1:1.11.1-1.11.51. [DOI: 10.1002/0471250953.bi0111s30] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kate Dreher
- Carnegie Institution for Science Stanford California
| | | | | | | | - Eva Huala
- Carnegie Institution for Science Stanford California
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15
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Abstract
The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR; http://www.arabidopsis.org) is a comprehensive Web resource of Arabidopsis biology for plant scientists. TAIR curates and integrates information about genes, proteins, gene expression, mutant phenotypes, biological materials such as DNA and seed stocks, genetic markers, genetic and physical maps, biochemical pathways, genome organization, images of mutant plants and protein sub-cellular localizations, publications, and the research community Data in TAIR are extensively interconnected and can be accessed through a variety of Web-based search and display tools. This unit primarily focuses on some basic methods for searching, browsing, visualizing, and analyzing information about Arabidopsis genes. Gene expression data from microarrays is a recent addition to the database and methods for accessing these data are also described. Two pattern identification programs are described for mining TAIR's unique Arabidopsis sequence data sets. We also describe how to use AraCyc for mining plant metabolic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonore Reiser
- The Arabidopsis Information Resource, Carnegie Institution, Stanford, California, USA
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16
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Avraham S, Tung CW, Ilic K, Jaiswal P, Kellogg EA, McCouch S, Pujar A, Reiser L, Rhee SY, Sachs MM, Schaeffer M, Stein L, Stevens P, Vincent L, Zapata F, Ware D. The Plant Ontology Database: a community resource for plant structure and developmental stages controlled vocabulary and annotations. Nucleic Acids Res 2008; 36:D449-54. [PMID: 18194960 PMCID: PMC2238838 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkm908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The Plant Ontology Consortium (POC, http://www.plantontology.org) is a collaborative effort among model plant genome databases and plant researchers that aims to create, maintain and facilitate the use of a controlled vocabulary (ontology) for plants. The ontology allows users to ascribe attributes of plant structure (anatomy and morphology) and developmental stages to data types, such as genes and phenotypes, to provide a semantic framework to make meaningful cross-species and database comparisons. The POC builds upon groundbreaking work by the Gene Ontology Consortium (GOC) by adopting and extending the GOC's principles, existing software and database structure. Over the past year, POC has added hundreds of ontology terms to associate with thousands of genes and gene products from Arabidopsis, rice and maize, which are available through a newly updated web-based browser (http://www.plantontology.org/amigo/go.cgi) for viewing, searching and querying. The Consortium has also implemented new functionalities to facilitate the application of PO in genomic research and updated the website to keep the contents current. In this report, we present a brief description of resources available from the website, changes to the interfaces, data updates, community activities and future enhancement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shulamit Avraham
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
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17
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Ilic K, Kellogg EA, Jaiswal P, Zapata F, Stevens PF, Vincent LP, Avraham S, Reiser L, Pujar A, Sachs MM, Whitman NT, McCouch SR, Schaeffer ML, Ware DH, Stein LD, Rhee SY. The plant structure ontology, a unified vocabulary of anatomy and morphology of a flowering plant. Plant Physiol 2007; 143:587-99. [PMID: 17142475 PMCID: PMC1803752 DOI: 10.1104/pp.106.092825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Formal description of plant phenotypes and standardized annotation of gene expression and protein localization data require uniform terminology that accurately describes plant anatomy and morphology. This facilitates cross species comparative studies and quantitative comparison of phenotypes and expression patterns. A major drawback is variable terminology that is used to describe plant anatomy and morphology in publications and genomic databases for different species. The same terms are sometimes applied to different plant structures in different taxonomic groups. Conversely, similar structures are named by their species-specific terms. To address this problem, we created the Plant Structure Ontology (PSO), the first generic ontological representation of anatomy and morphology of a flowering plant. The PSO is intended for a broad plant research community, including bench scientists, curators in genomic databases, and bioinformaticians. The initial releases of the PSO integrated existing ontologies for Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), maize (Zea mays), and rice (Oryza sativa); more recent versions of the ontology encompass terms relevant to Fabaceae, Solanaceae, additional cereal crops, and poplar (Populus spp.). Databases such as The Arabidopsis Information Resource, Nottingham Arabidopsis Stock Centre, Gramene, MaizeGDB, and SOL Genomics Network are using the PSO to describe expression patterns of genes and phenotypes of mutants and natural variants and are regularly contributing new annotations to the Plant Ontology database. The PSO is also used in specialized public databases, such as BRENDA, GENEVESTIGATOR, NASCArrays, and others. Over 10,000 gene annotations and phenotype descriptions from participating databases can be queried and retrieved using the Plant Ontology browser. The PSO, as well as contributed gene associations, can be obtained at www.plantontology.org.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katica Ilic
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution, Stanford, California 94305, USA
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18
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Pujar A, Jaiswal P, Kellogg EA, Ilic K, Vincent L, Avraham S, Stevens P, Zapata F, Reiser L, Rhee SY, Sachs MM, Schaeffer M, Stein L, Ware D, McCouch S. Whole-plant growth stage ontology for angiosperms and its application in plant biology. Plant Physiol 2006; 142:414-28. [PMID: 16905665 PMCID: PMC1586063 DOI: 10.1104/pp.106.085720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2006] [Accepted: 07/28/2006] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Plant growth stages are identified as distinct morphological landmarks in a continuous developmental process. The terms describing these developmental stages record the morphological appearance of the plant at a specific point in its life cycle. The widely differing morphology of plant species consequently gave rise to heterogeneous vocabularies describing growth and development. Each species or family specific community developed distinct terminologies for describing whole-plant growth stages. This semantic heterogeneity made it impossible to use growth stage description contained within plant biology databases to make meaningful computational comparisons. The Plant Ontology Consortium (http://www.plantontology.org) was founded to develop standard ontologies describing plant anatomical as well as growth and developmental stages that can be used for annotation of gene expression patterns and phenotypes of all flowering plants. In this article, we describe the development of a generic whole-plant growth stage ontology that describes the spatiotemporal stages of plant growth as a set of landmark events that progress from germination to senescence. This ontology represents a synthesis and integration of terms and concepts from a variety of species-specific vocabularies previously used for describing phenotypes and genomic information. It provides a common platform for annotating gene function and gene expression in relation to the developmental trajectory of a plant described at the organismal level. As proof of concept the Plant Ontology Consortium used the plant ontology growth stage ontology to annotate genes and phenotypes in plants with initial emphasis on those represented in The Arabidopsis Information Resource, Gramene database, and MaizeGDB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuradha Pujar
- Department of Plant Breeding, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
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19
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Garcia-Hernandez M, Reiser L. Using information from public Arabidopsis databases to aid research. Methods Mol Biol 2006; 323:187-211. [PMID: 16739578 DOI: 10.1385/1-59745-003-0:187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The volume of Arabidopsis information has increased enormously in recent years as a result of the sequencing of the genome and other large-scale genomic projects. Much of the data are stored in public databases, where data are organized, analyzed, and made freely accessible to the research community. These databases are resources that researchers can utilize for making predictions and developing testable hypotheses. The methods in this chapter describe ways to access and utilize Arabidopsis data and genomic resources found in databases.
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20
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Berardini TZ, Mundodi S, Reiser L, Huala E, Garcia-Hernandez M, Zhang P, Mueller LA, Yoon J, Doyle A, Lander G, Moseyko N, Yoo D, Xu I, Zoeckler B, Montoya M, Miller N, Weems D, Rhee SY. Functional annotation of the Arabidopsis genome using controlled vocabularies. Plant Physiol 2004; 135:745-55. [PMID: 15173566 PMCID: PMC514112 DOI: 10.1104/pp.104.040071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 232] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2004] [Revised: 01/30/2004] [Accepted: 02/25/2004] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Controlled vocabularies are increasingly used by databases to describe genes and gene products because they facilitate identification of similar genes within an organism or among different organisms. One of The Arabidopsis Information Resource's goals is to associate all Arabidopsis genes with terms developed by the Gene Ontology Consortium that describe the molecular function, biological process, and subcellular location of a gene product. We have also developed terms describing Arabidopsis anatomy and developmental stages and use these to annotate published gene expression data. As of March 2004, we used computational and manual annotation methods to make 85,666 annotations representing 26,624 unique loci. We focus on associating genes to controlled vocabulary terms based on experimental data from the literature and use The Arabidopsis Information Resource-developed PubSearch software to facilitate this process. Each annotation is tagged with a combination of evidence codes, evidence descriptions, and references that provide a robust means to assess data quality. Annotation of all Arabidopsis genes will allow quantitative comparisons between sets of genes derived from sources such as microarray experiments. The Arabidopsis annotation data will also facilitate annotation of newly sequenced plant genomes by using sequence similarity to transfer annotations to homologous genes. In addition, complete and up-to-date annotations will make unknown genes easy to identify and target for experimentation. Here, we describe the process of Arabidopsis functional annotation using a variety of data sources and illustrate several ways in which this information can be accessed and used to infer knowledge about Arabidopsis and other plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya Z Berardini
- Carnegie Institution, Department of Plant Biology, Stanford, California 94305, USA
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21
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Abstract
The National Science Foundation's recent mandate that all Principal Investigators address the broader impacts of their research has prompted an unprecedented number of scientists to seek opportunities to participate in precollege education and outreach. To help interested geneticists avoid duplicating efforts and make use of existing resources, we examined several precollege genetics, genomics, and biotechnology education efforts and noted the elements that contributed to their success, indicated by program expansion, participant satisfaction, or participant learning. Identifying a specific audience and their needs and resources, involving K-12 teachers in program development, and evaluating program efforts are integral to program success. We highlighted a few innovative programs to illustrate these findings. Challenges that may compromise further development and dissemination of these programs include absence of reward systems for participation in outreach as well as lack of training for scientists doing outreach. Several programs and institutions are tackling these issues in ways that will help sustain outreach efforts while allowing them to be modified to meet the changing needs of their participants, including scientists, teachers, and students. Most importantly, resources and personnel are available to facilitate greater and deeper involvement of scientists in precollege and public education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin L Dolan
- Fralin Biotechnology Center, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA
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22
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Dolan EL, Soots BE, Lemaux PG, Rhee SY, Reiser L. Strategies for Avoiding Reinventing the Precollege Education and Outreach Wheel. Genetics 2004. [DOI: 10.1093/genetics/166.4.1601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The National Science Foundation’s recent mandate that all Principal Investigators address the broader impacts of their research has prompted an unprecedented number of scientists to seek opportunities to participate in precollege education and outreach. To help interested geneticists avoid duplicating efforts and make use of existing resources, we examined several precollege genetics, genomics, and biotechnology education efforts and noted the elements that contributed to their success, indicated by program expansion, participant satisfaction, or participant learning. Identifying a specific audience and their needs and resources, involving K–12 teachers in program development, and evaluating program efforts are integral to program success. We highlighted a few innovative programs to illustrate these findings. Challenges that may compromise further development and dissemination of these programs include absence of reward systems for participation in outreach as well as lack of training for scientists doing outreach. Several programs and institutions are tackling these issues in ways that will help sustain outreach efforts while allowing them to be modified to meet the changing needs of their participants, including scientists, teachers, and students. Most importantly, resources and personnel are available to facilitate greater and deeper involvement of scientists in precollege and public education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin L Dolan
- Fralin Biotechnology Center, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
| | - Barbara E Soots
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, California 95616
| | - Peggy G Lemaux
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
| | - Seung Y Rhee
- The Arabidopsis Information Resource, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Department of Plant Biology, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Leonore Reiser
- The Arabidopsis Information Resource, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Department of Plant Biology, Stanford, California 94305
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23
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Rhee SY, Beavis W, Berardini TZ, Chen G, Dixon D, Doyle A, Garcia-Hernandez M, Huala E, Lander G, Montoya M, Miller N, Mueller LA, Mundodi S, Reiser L, Tacklind J, Weems DC, Wu Y, Xu I, Yoo D, Yoon J, Zhang P. The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR): a model organism database providing a centralized, curated gateway to Arabidopsis biology, research materials and community. Nucleic Acids Res 2003; 31:224-8. [PMID: 12519987 PMCID: PMC165523 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkg076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 562] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Arabidopsis thaliana is the most widely-studied plant today. The concerted efforts of over 11 000 researchers and 4000 organizations around the world are generating a rich diversity and quantity of information and materials. This information is made available through a comprehensive on-line resource called the Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) (http://arabidopsis.org), which is accessible via commonly used web browsers and can be searched and downloaded in a number of ways. In the last two years, efforts have been focused on increasing data content and diversity, functionally annotating genes and gene products with controlled vocabularies, and improving data retrieval, analysis and visualization tools. New information include sequence polymorphisms including alleles, germplasms and phenotypes, Gene Ontology annotations, gene families, protein information, metabolic pathways, gene expression data from microarray experiments and seed and DNA stocks. New data visualization and analysis tools include SeqViewer, which interactively displays the genome from the whole chromosome down to 10 kb of nucleotide sequence and AraCyc, a metabolic pathway database and map tool that allows overlaying expression data onto the pathway diagrams. Finally, we have recently incorporated seed and DNA stock information from the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center (ABRC) and implemented a shopping-cart style on-line ordering system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung Yon Rhee
- Carnegie Institution of Washington, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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24
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Garcia-Hernandez M, Berardini TZ, Chen G, Crist D, Doyle A, Huala E, Knee E, Lambrecht M, Miller N, Mueller LA, Mundodi S, Reiser L, Rhee SY, Scholl R, Tacklind J, Weems DC, Wu Y, Xu I, Yoo D, Yoon J, Zhang P. TAIR: a resource for integrated Arabidopsis data. Funct Integr Genomics 2002; 2:239-53. [PMID: 12444417 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-002-0077-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2002] [Accepted: 08/12/2002] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR; http://arabidopsis.org) provides an integrated view of genomic data for Arabidopsis thaliana. The information is obtained from a battery of sources, including the Arabidopsis user community, the literature, and the major genome centers. Currently TAIR provides information about genes, markers, polymorphisms, maps, sequences, clones, DNA and seed stocks, gene families and proteins. In addition, users can find Arabidopsis publications and information about Arabidopsis researchers. Our emphasis is now on incorporating functional annotations of genes and gene products, genome-wide expression, and biochemical pathway data. Among the tools developed at TAIR, the most notable is the Sequence Viewer, which displays gene annotation, clones, transcripts, markers and polymorphisms on the Arabidopsis genome, and allows zooming in to the nucleotide level. A tool recently released is AraCyc, which is designed for visualization of biochemical pathways. We are also developing tools to extract information from the literature in a systematic way, and building controlled vocabularies to describe biological concepts in collaboration with other database groups. A significant new feature is the integration of the ABRC database functions and stock ordering system, which allows users to place orders for seed and DNA stocks directly from the TAIR site.
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25
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Reiser L, Mueller LA, Rhee SY. Surviving in a sea of data: a survey of plant genome data resources and issues in building data management systems. Plant Mol Biol 2002; 48:59-74. [PMID: 11860214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Exponential growth of data, largely from whole-genome analyses, has changed the way biologists think about and handle data. Optimal use of these data requires effective methods to analyze and manage these data sets. Computers, software and the World Wide Web are now integral components of biological discovery. Understanding how information is obtained, processed and annotated in public databases allows researchers to effectively organize, analyze and export their own data into these databases. In this review we focus largely on two areas related to management of genomic data. We cite examples of resources available in the public domain and describe some of the software for data management systems currently available for plant research. In addition, we discuss a few concepts of data management from the perspective of an individual or group that wishes to provide data to the public databases, to use the information in the public databases more efficiently, or to develop a database to manage large data sets internally or for public access. These concepts include data descriptions, exchange format, curation, attribution, and database implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonore Reiser
- Carnegie Institution, Department of Plant Biology, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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26
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Huala E, Dickerman AW, Garcia-Hernandez M, Weems D, Reiser L, LaFond F, Hanley D, Kiphart D, Zhuang M, Huang W, Mueller LA, Bhattacharyya D, Bhaya D, Sobral BW, Beavis W, Meinke DW, Town CD, Somerville C, Rhee SY. The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR): a comprehensive database and web-based information retrieval, analysis, and visualization system for a model plant. Nucleic Acids Res 2001; 29:102-5. [PMID: 11125061 PMCID: PMC29827 DOI: 10.1093/nar/29.1.102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 357] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Arabidopsis thaliana, a small annual plant belonging to the mustard family, is the subject of study by an estimated 7000 researchers around the world. In addition to the large body of genetic, physiological and biochemical data gathered for this plant, it will be the first higher plant genome to be completely sequenced, with completion expected at the end of the year 2000. The sequencing effort has been coordinated by an international collaboration, the Arabidopsis Genome Initiative (AGI). The rationale for intensive investigation of Arabidopsis is that it is an excellent model for higher plants. In order to maximize use of the knowledge gained about this plant, there is a need for a comprehensive database and information retrieval and analysis system that will provide user-friendly access to Arabidopsis information. This paper describes the initial steps we have taken toward realizing these goals in a project called The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) (www.arabidopsis.org).
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Affiliation(s)
- E Huala
- Carnegie Institution, Department of Plant Biology, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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27
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Abstract
The knotted1 (kn1) gene of maize is expressed in meristems and is absent from leaves, including the site of leaf initiation within the meristem. Recessive mutations of kn1 have been described that limit the capacity to make branches and result in extra carpels. Dominant mutations suggest that kn1 function plays a role in maintaining cells in an undifferentiated state. We took advantage of a Ds-induced dominant allele in order to screen for additional recessive alleles resulting from mobilization of the Ds element. Analysis of one such allele revealed a novel embryonic shoot phenotype in which the shoot initiated zero to few organs after the cotyledon was made, resulting in plants that arrested as seedlings. We refer to this phenotype as a limited shoot. The limited shoot phenotype reflected loss of kn1 function, but its penetrance was background dependent. We examined meristem size and found that plants lacking kn1 function had shorter meristems than non-mutant siblings. Furthermore, meristems of restrictive inbreds were significantly shorter than meristems of permissive inbreds, implying a correlation between meristem height and kn1 gene function in the embryo. Analysis of limited shoot plants during embryogenesis indicated a role for kn1 in shoot meristem maintenance. We discuss a model for kn1 in maintenance of the morphogenetic zone of the shoot apical meristem.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Vollbrecht
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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28
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Reiser L. Profiling the flavonoid pathway. Genome Biol 2000. [DOI: 10.1186/gb-2000-1-1-reports034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Reiser L. More efficient transposon mutagenesis in Arabidopsis? Genome Biol 2000. [DOI: 10.1186/gb-2000-1-1-reports028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Abstract
Knotted-like homeobox (knox) genes constitute a gene family in plants. Class I knox genes are expressed in shoot apical meristems, and (with notable exceptions) not in lateral organ primordia. Class II genes have more diverse expression patterns. Loss and gain of function mutations indicate that knox genes are important regulators of meristem function. Gene duplication has contributed to the evolution of families of homeodomain proteins in metazoans. We believe that similar mechanisms have contributed to the diversity of knox gene function in plants. Knox genes may have contributed to the evolution of compound leaves in tomato and could be involved in the evolution of morphological traits in other species. Alterations in cis-regulatory regions in some knox genes correlate with novel patterns of gene expression and distinctive morphologies. Preliminary data from the analysis of class I knox gene expression illustrates the evolution of complex patterns of knox expression is likely to have occurred through loss and gain of domains of gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Reiser
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720, USA.
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Klucher KM, Chow H, Reiser L, Fischer RL. The AINTEGUMENTA gene of Arabidopsis required for ovule and female gametophyte development is related to the floral homeotic gene APETALA2. Plant Cell 1996; 8:137-53. [PMID: 8742706 PMCID: PMC161087 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.8.2.137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 316] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Ovules play a central role in plant reproduction, generating the female gametophyte within sporophytic integuments. When fertilized, the integuments differentiate into the seed coat and support the development of the embryo and endosperm. Mutations in the AINTEGUMENTA (ANT) locus of Arabidopsis have a profound effect on ovule development. Strong ant mutants have ovules that fail to form integuments or a female gametophyte. Flower development is also altered, with a random reduction of organs in the outer three whorls. In addition, organs present in the outer three floral whorls often have abnormal morphology. Ovules from a weak ant mutant contain both inner and outer integuments but generally fail to produce a functional female gametophyte. We isolated the ANT gene by using a mutation derived by T-DNA insertional mutagenesis. ANT is a member of a gene family that includes the floral homeotic gene APETALA2 (AP2). Like AP2, ANT contains two AP2 domains homologous with the DNA binding domain of ethylene response element binding proteins. ANT is expressed most highly in developing flowers but is also expressed in vegetative tissue. Taken together, these results suggest that ANT is a transcription factor that plays a critical role in regulating ovule and female gametophyte development.
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Affiliation(s)
- K M Klucher
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California-Berkeley 94720, USA
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Reiser L, Modrusan Z, Margossian L, Samach A, Ohad N, Haughn GW, Fischer RL. The BELL1 gene encodes a homeodomain protein involved in pattern formation in the Arabidopsis ovule primordium. Cell 1995; 83:735-42. [PMID: 8521490 DOI: 10.1016/0092-8674(95)90186-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 191] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Ovule development in Arabidopsis involves the formation of three morphologically defined proximal-distal pattern elements. Integuments arise from the central pattern element. Analysis of Bell 1 (Bel 1) mutant ovules indicated that BEL1 was required for integument development. Cloning of the BEL1 locus reveals that it encodes a homeodomain transcription factor. Prior to integument initiation, BEL1 RNA localizes to the central domain, providing molecular evidence for a central pattern element. Therefore, proximal-distal patterning of the ovule involves the regulated expression of the BEL1 gene that controls integument morphogenesis. A model for BEL1 function is evaluated with regard to new data showing the expression pattern of the floral homeotic gene AGAMOUS (AG) early in wild-type and BEL1 ovule development.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Reiser
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720, USA
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Modrusan Z, Reiser L, Feldmann KA, Fischer RL, Haughn GW. Homeotic Transformation of Ovules into Carpel-like Structures in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 1994. [PMID: 12244239 DOI: 10.2307/3869754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Ovules are specialized reproductive organs that develop within the carpels of higher plants. In Arabidopsis, mutations in two genes, BELL1 (BEL1) and APETALA2 (AP2), disrupt ovule development. In Bel1 ovules, the inner integument fails to form, the outer integument develops abnormally, and the embryo sac arrests at a late stage of megagametogenesis. During later stages of ovule development, cells of the outer integument of a Bel1 ovule sometimes develop into a carpel-like structure with stigmatic papillae and second-order ovules. The frequency of carpel-like structures was highest when plants were grown under conditions that normally induced flowering and was correlated with ectopic expression in the ovule of AGAMOUS (AG), an organ-identity gene required for carpel formation. Together, these results suggested that BEL1 negatively regulates AG late in ovule development. Likewise, mutants homozygous for the strong AP2 allele ap2-6 sometimes displayed structures with carpel-like features in place of ovules. However, such abnormal Ap2 ovules are much less ovulelike in morphology and form earlier than the Bel1 carpel-like structures. Because one role of the AP2 gene is to negatively regulate AG expression early in flower development, it is possible that AP2 works in a similar manner in the ovule. A novel ovule phenotype observed in Bel1/Ap2-6 double mutants suggested that BEL1 and AP2 genes function independently during ovule development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z. Modrusan
- Botany Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Modrusan Z, Reiser L, Feldmann KA, Fischer RL, Haughn GW. Homeotic Transformation of Ovules into Carpel-like Structures in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 1994; 6:333-349. [PMID: 12244239 PMCID: PMC160437 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.6.3.333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Ovules are specialized reproductive organs that develop within the carpels of higher plants. In Arabidopsis, mutations in two genes, BELL1 (BEL1) and APETALA2 (AP2), disrupt ovule development. In Bel1 ovules, the inner integument fails to form, the outer integument develops abnormally, and the embryo sac arrests at a late stage of megagametogenesis. During later stages of ovule development, cells of the outer integument of a Bel1 ovule sometimes develop into a carpel-like structure with stigmatic papillae and second-order ovules. The frequency of carpel-like structures was highest when plants were grown under conditions that normally induced flowering and was correlated with ectopic expression in the ovule of AGAMOUS (AG), an organ-identity gene required for carpel formation. Together, these results suggested that BEL1 negatively regulates AG late in ovule development. Likewise, mutants homozygous for the strong AP2 allele ap2-6 sometimes displayed structures with carpel-like features in place of ovules. However, such abnormal Ap2 ovules are much less ovulelike in morphology and form earlier than the Bel1 carpel-like structures. Because one role of the AP2 gene is to negatively regulate AG expression early in flower development, it is possible that AP2 works in a similar manner in the ovule. A novel ovule phenotype observed in Bel1/Ap2-6 double mutants suggested that BEL1 and AP2 genes function independently during ovule development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z. Modrusan
- Botany Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Affiliation(s)
- L. Reiser
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
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