The main goal of this project is to expand the Gene Expression Database (GXD) to include information about adult mouse structures and patterns of gene expression in adult tissues, as part of the Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI) initiative at The Jackson Laboratory. Systematically documenting gene expression and providing analytical tools for researchers are crucial to support functional genomics studies. This work will be fully integrated into the current MGI program, ensuring the integration of information from genetic approaches, phenotypes and gene expression studies. An initial period of requirement analysis will be followed by the definition of controlled vocabularies for adult anatomical structures and biological phenomena that relate to normal and abnormal gene expression and the physiological consequences in those structures. Additionally, I will evaluate the concept of alternative hierarchies as it pertains to variant representation of the data, to provide different access to the information space. Based on my work on the biological requirement analysis and design, I will communicate the concepts to computer professionals for the prototyping of new tools to capture, store, and display complex biological data.
These aims will provide an enriching training opportunity in the theories and practices of bioinformatics, as well as contribute to the MGI program. The adult mouse GXD component will be freely available as a community information resource, allowing basic and clinical researchers worldwide to access and analyze gene expression data for the laboratory mouse, one of the model organisms of the Human Genome Project.
| Hayamizu, Terry F; Mangan, Mary; Corradi, John P et al. (2005) The Adult Mouse Anatomical Dictionary: a tool for annotating and integrating data. Genome Biol 6:R29 |
