Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI) is a free, online database and

bioinformatics Bioinformatics () is an interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools for understanding biological data, in particular when the data sets are large and complex. As an interdisciplinary field of science, bioinformatics combi ...

resource hosted by

The Jackson Laboratory The Jackson Laboratory (often abbreviated as JAX) is an independent, non-profit biomedical research institution which was founded by a eugenicist. It employs more than 3,000 employees in Bar Harbor, Maine; Sacramento, California; Farmington, Con ...

, with funding by the

National Human Genome Research Institute The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) is an institute of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland. NHGRI began as the Office of Human Genome Research in The Office of the Director in 1988. This Office transi ...

(NHGRI), the

National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...

(NCI), and the

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development The ''Eunice Kennedy Shriver'' National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It supports and conducts research aime ...

(NICHD). MGI provides access to data on the genetics, genomics and biology of the laboratory mouse to facilitate the study of human health and disease. The database integrates multiple projects, with the two largest contributions coming from the Mouse Genome Database and Mouse Gene Expression Database (GXD). , MGI contains data curated from over 230,000 publications. The MGI resource was first published online in 1994 and is a collection of data, tools, and analyses created and tailored for use in the

laboratory mouse The laboratory mouse or lab mouse is a small mammal of the order Rodentia which is bred and used for scientific research or feeders for certain pets. Laboratory mice are usually of the species ''Mus musculus''. They are the most commonly used ...

, a widely used

model organism A model organism (often shortened to model) is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workin ...

. It is "the authoritative source of official names for mouse genes, alleles, and strains", which follow the guidelines established by the International Committee on Standardized Genetic Nomenclature for Mice. The history and focus of Jackson Laboratory research and production facilities generates tremendous knowledge and depth which researchers can mine to advance their research. A dedicated community of mouse researchers, worldwide enhances and contributes to the knowledge as well. This is an indispensable tool for any researcher using the mouse as a model organism for their research, and for researchers interested in genes that share homology with the mouse genes. Various mouse research support resources including animal collections and free colony management software are also available at the MGI site.

Mouse Genome Database

The ''Mouse Genome Database'' collects and curates comprehensive phenotype and functional annotations for

mouse A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...

s and

alleles An allele (, ; ; modern formation from Greek ἄλλος ''állos'', "other") is a variation of the same sequence of nucleotides at the same place on a long DNA molecule, as described in leading textbooks on genetics and evolution. ::"The chro ...

. This is an

NHGRI The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) is an institute of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland. NHGRI began as the Office of Human Genome Research in The Office of the Director in 1988. This Office transi ...

-funded project which contributes to the Mouse Genome Informatics database.

Mouse gene expression database

The ''Gene Expression Database'' is a community resource of mouse developmental expression information.

History

MGI evolved from a project funded by the National Center for Human Genome Research in 1989 to combine the databases of several Jackson Laboratory scientists and create a tool for visualizing data on the mouse genome. The result of that project, led by Joseph H. Nadeau, Larry E. Mobraaten, and Janan T. Eppig, was called the "Encyclopedia of the Mouse Genome" and distributed via

floppy disk A floppy disk or floppy diskette (casually referred to as a floppy, or a diskette) is an obsolescent type of disk storage composed of a thin and flexible disk of a magnetic storage medium in a square or nearly square plastic enclosure lined w ...

semi-annually to around 300 scientists around the world. In 1992, that group joined with the team responsible for developing the "Genomic Database for Mouse", led by Muriel T. Davisson and Thomas H. Roderick, to start the "Mouse Genome Informatics" project. That project resulted in the first online release of the "Mouse Genome Database" in 1994.

References

External links

*
Mouse Genome Informatics home page
*
Mouse Genome Informatics Publications
* tp://ftp.sanger.ac.uk/pub4/opendoor/washington/2011/manuals/module1_ikmc.pdf Tutorial from the Open Door workshop{Dead link, date=April 2020 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes
Gene eXpression Database (GXD)
Mouse genetics Biological databases Gene expression

Mouse Genome Database

Mouse gene expression database

History

See also

References

External links