AsMamDB: an alternative splice database of mammals

Area of Science:

• Genomics
• Molecular Biology
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Alternative splicing is a key mechanism for increasing proteomic diversity in mammals.
• Understanding alternative splicing is crucial for studying gene regulation and disease.
• Existing resources may not comprehensively cover mammalian alternative splicing patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present AsMamDB, a dedicated database for the systematic study of mammalian alternatively spliced genes.
• To provide a centralized resource for alternative splicing information in human, mouse, and rat.
• To facilitate research into gene structure, function, and expression related to alternative splicing.

Main Methods:

• Compilation of 1563 alternatively spliced genes from human, mouse, and rat.
• Integration of nucleotide sequences, gene structures, chromosomal locations, and expression data.
• Representation of alternative splicing patterns using multiple sequence alignments and topological graphs.
• Inclusion of DNA, mRNA, CDS, and EST sequences in FASTA format.

Main Results:

• AsMamDB Version 1.0 contains data for 1563 alternatively spliced genes.
• The database includes detailed information on gene structures, splicing patterns, and expression tissues.
• It links to over 130,000 GenBank entries and 4443 MEDLINE records.
• Web-based tools like Asalign are provided for data analysis.

Conclusions:

• AsMamDB serves as a valuable resource for researchers studying mammalian alternative splicing.
• The database facilitates systematic investigation of gene regulation and proteomic diversity.
• It supports comparative genomics and functional studies of alternatively spliced genes.