WaspAtlas: a Nasonia vitripennis gene database and analysis platform

Abstract

Nasonia vitripennis is a parasitoid wasp which is becoming an important model organism for parasitism, epigenetics, evolutionary and developmental genetics. WaspAtlas is a new gene database in which we have compiled annotation data from all available N. vitripennis releases along with a wealth of transcriptomic data, methylation data and original analyses and annotations to form a comprehensive resource to aid the study of Nasonia. WaspAtlas allows users to explore gene structure and function, to compare expression data across sexes, tissues, developmental stages and conditions, and to explore published data relating to gene(s) of interest. WaspAtlas is easy to navigate and the database is easily searchable through the web interface. Detailed illustrations are provided for splice variants, protein domain predictions and the results of analyses. The website also functions as an analysis platform analysis for Nasonia, providing a set of tools designed to perform common analyses including GO term overrepresentation and RNAi off-target prediction. WaspAtlas will act as a hub for published data relating to Nasonia genes, and will be continually updated with new data to reflect the state of Nasonia-omics research. Database URL: http://waspatlas.com.

Figure 1.

Overview of the gene information page showing the information available for each gene in WaspAtlas. The gene summary screen is shown on the top left. The various information sections are shown next to it.

Figure 2.

Analysis with WaspAtlas. (A) Use case of the advanced search function, performing a search for transcription factors involved in immune response. (B) Use case of the GO overrepresentation tool, showing input and output.