dictyBase update 2011

dictyBase update 2011 provides an integrated genomic and biological data resource for Dictyostelium discoideum and related Dictyostelids to support genome annotation, comparative genomics, curated gene models, ortholog analysis, and access to strain and plasmid repositories.

Key Features:

• Complete Genome Sequence: Contains the complete genome sequence for Dictyostelium discoideum, associated expression data including ESTs, and genome sequences from three additional Dictyostelids for comparative analyses.
• Literature Integration: Integrates the body of Dictyostelium literature to support gene models and functional annotations.
• Curated Gene Models and Annotations: Gene models and functional annotations are manually curated using experimental results and comparative multigenome analyses to produce a fully annotated reference genome for the Amoebozoa clade.
• Ortholog Display: Provides ortholog display capabilities for identification and comparison of gene homologs across species.
• Multigenome Comparison Tools: Includes software tools that facilitate multigenome comparisons across multiple Dictyostelid species.
• Integration with Dicty Stock Center: Relocation of the Dicty Stock Center to Northwestern University enabled integration of strain and plasmid repositories into DictyBase.

Scientific Applications:

• Genomic Research: Facilitates genome annotation and comparative genomics studies within the Amoebozoa clade.
• Functional Genomics: Supports investigation of gene function through curated annotations and expression data such as ESTs.
• Evolutionary Studies: Enables evolutionary analyses via ortholog comparison and multigenome analyses.

Methodology:

Manual curation of gene models and functional annotations based on experimental results and comparative multigenome analyses; ortholog display and multigenome comparisons implemented via dedicated software tools; integration of literature, EST expression data, and additional Dictyostelid genome sequences.