ECR Browser

ECR Browser provides access to whole-genome alignments and visualization of evolutionary conserved regions across multiple vertebrate species, including human, mouse, rat, and fish, to support identification of conserved functional genomic elements such as novel genes, distant gene regulatory elements, and transcription factor binding sites.

Key Features:

• Whole-genome alignments: Dynamic access to comprehensive whole-genome alignments across multiple vertebrate species for cross-species comparison.
• Evolutionary conserved region (ECR) visualization: Visualization of conserved regions to highlight sequences preserved through evolution.
• Functional element prediction: Identification and prioritization of potential novel genes, distant gene regulatory elements, and transcription factor binding sites based on conservation.
• Sequence submission and automated alignment: Ability to submit user sequences for automated alignment against the represented genomes to integrate new queries into comparative analyses.
• Integration with DNA analysis tools: Interconnection with other DNA sequence analysis tools to facilitate combined analyses and transitions between platforms.

Scientific Applications:

• Comparative genomics: Comparative analysis of vertebrate genomes (including human, mouse, rat, and fish) to detect conserved regions and infer functional significance.
• Regulatory element discovery: Identification of candidate distant regulatory elements and transcription factor binding sites conserved across species.
• Gene annotation: Prioritization of novel gene candidates and conserved coding or noncoding elements for functional follow-up.
• Integration of sequence queries: Incorporation of user-submitted sequences into existing comparative analyses to evaluate conservation and potential function.

Methodology:

Uses whole-genome alignments across multiple vertebrate species; supports automated alignment of user-submitted sequences against the represented genomes; interoperates with other DNA sequence analysis tools.