Aspergillus genomes and the Aspergillus cloud

Abstract

Aspergillus Genomes is a public resource for viewing annotated genes predicted by various Aspergillus sequencing projects. It has arisen from the union of two significant resources: the Aspergillus/Aspergillosis website and the Central Aspergillus Data REpository (CADRE). The former has primarily served the medical community, providing information about Aspergillus and associated diseases to medics, patients and scientists; the latter has focused on the fungal genomic community, providing a central repository for sequences and annotation extracted from Aspergillus Genomes. By merging these databases, genomes benefit from extensive cross-linking with medical information to create a unique resource, spanning genomics and clinical aspects of the genus. Aspergillus Genomes is accessible from http://www.aspergillus-genomes.org.uk.

Figure 1.

Using the Aspergillus Cloud to explore genes. Entering a gene name, such as ‘cyp51a’, into the search box at the top of the cloud search space (a) produces numerous related search terms immediately below and a list of relevant documents/records at the RHS. The document list provides an extract for each document enabling the user to assess the context of the search term found. By clicking on relevant links, the user can access both medical reports (b) and genomic annotation (c) for a given gene name.

Figure 2.

Using the Aspergillus Cloud to explore medical information. Entering a medical condition, such as ABPA, into the search box (a), produces several groups of related terms within the search space below. By moving the mouse over each term, new clouds arise temporarily. Clicking on a term will add the associated clouds into the search space and change the focus of the search to include the term (b). In this example, we find a list of documents on the RHS that includes links to an ABPA-related gene (c) and to an article regarding an allergen that is particular to the allergic response of ABPA patients (d).

Figure 3.

Screenshot of Gliotoxin biosynthetic cluster. We have constructed a web page for this significant cluster that aims to pull together disparate data (e.g. structural, experimental, medical and genomic) from the underlying resources of Aspergillus Genomes. By gathering information pertaining to this cluster, we are able to improve data assimilation and highlight data availability. This web page is accessible from http://www.aspergillus.org.uk/secure/sequence_info/ genesofinterest/gliotoxin_cluster.html.