MarCat

MarCat provides an extensive gene and protein catalogue compiled from metagenomic samples of cultivable and uncultivable marine microorganisms to support marine genomics and marine microbial research.

Key Features:

• Data source: Compiles genes and proteins obtained from metagenomic samples of cultivable and uncultivable marine microorganisms.
• Database contents: Contains 1,227 records each annotated with 55 metadata fields covering sampling details, sequencing methodologies, assembly processes, annotation specifics, and taxonomic information.
• Curation and accuracy: Operates within a tiered system for data accuracy and complements related databases MarRef and MarDB.
• Ontologies and controlled vocabularies: Employs ontologies and controlled vocabularies within contextual databases to standardize metadata.
• Sequence search capability: Provides BLAST searches against the corresponding sequence databases.
• Integration: Is part of the Marine Metagenomics Portal (MMP) suite of marine genomic resources.

Scientific Applications:

• Marine microbial ecology and evolution: Supports studies of marine microbial community structure, ecology, and evolutionary relationships through access to gene and protein data.
• Metagenomic studies: Enables comprehensive analyses of marine metagenomes using compiled gene and protein sequences.
• Biodiversity assessments: Facilitates exploration of genetic diversity in marine environments using annotated records and metadata.
• Functional genomics: Assists identification and characterization of genes and proteins for functional and biotechnological investigations.

Methodology:

Compilation of genes and proteins from metagenomic samples, assembly processes, sequence annotation, BLAST sequence searches, and application of ontologies and controlled vocabularies.