WAMIDEX: a web atlas of murine genomic imprinting and differential expression

The mouse is an established model organism for the study of genomic imprinting. Mice with genetic material originating from only one parent (e.g., mice with uniparental chromosomal duplications) or gene mutations leading to epigenetic deficiencies have proven to be particularly useful tools. In the process of our studies we have accumulated a large set of expression microarray measurements in samples derived from these types of mice. Here, we present the collation of these and third-party microarray data that are relevant to genomic imprinting into a Web Atlas of Murine genomic Imprinting and Differential EXpression (WAMIDEX: https://atlas.genetics.kcl.ac.uk). WAMIDEX integrates the most comprehensive literature-derived catalog of murine imprinted genes to date with a genome browser that makes the microarray data immediately accessible in annotation-rich genomic context. In addition, WAMIDEX exemplifies the use of the self-organizing map method for the discovery of novel imprinted genes from microarray data. The parent-of-origin-specific expression of imprinted genes is frequently limited to specific tissues or developmental stages, a fact that the atlas reflects in its design and data content.