PopTargs

PopTargs provides a database and analysis resource for population evolutionary genetics focused on human microRNA (miRNA) target sites.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive data integration: compiles predicted miRNA target sites with empirical datasets including allele frequencies, ancestral status, population differentiation statistics, and site conservation metrics.
• Joint analysis capabilities: performs combined analyses of allele frequencies, ancestral alleles, population differentiation statistics, and conservation across target sites.
• Comparative analysis tools: compares allele frequency spectra between groups of target sites to identify differences in allele distributions.
• Visualization options: generates plots to represent data comparisons and analytical results.
• Expandable database: structured for expansion as new data are integrated.
• Custom database generation: includes raw database content and code enabling creation of custom databases for other species or datasets by adjusting file names.

Scientific Applications:

• Studying selective forces on miRNA target sites: integrates allele frequencies and conservation metrics to investigate natural selection acting on regulatory motifs.
• Investigating functional consequences of polymorphisms: links variation at miRNA target sites to potential effects on gene expression and regulatory function.
• Analyzing population differentiation: examines how polymorphisms at target sites contribute to differences among human populations.

Methodology:

Compile data from multiple sources, align datasets with predicted miRNA target sites, and generate the database via a pipeline that can be adapted to other species or datasets by modifying file names.