Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
10:41
Leveraging CyVerse Resources for De Novo Comparative Transcriptomics of Underserved (Non-model) Organisms
Published on: May 9, 2017
Providing the missing link: the exposure science ontology ExO
Carolyn J Mattingly1, Thomas E McKone, Michael A Callahan
1North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States. cjmattin@ncsu.edu
Environmental Science & Technology
|February 14, 2012
Summary
Environmental health research needs better exposure data. We developed the Exposure Ontology (ExO) to centralize and integrate this crucial information for improved disease and risk assessment.
Area of Science:
- Environmental health sciences
- Bioinformatics
- Toxicology
Background:
- Environmental health information resources lack standardized exposure data.
- This data gap hinders translating molecular insights and assessing health/ecological risks.
- Existing resources do not adequately link exposure science with toxicology, epidemiology, and other environmental health disciplines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an Exposure Ontology (ExO) to address the lack of exposure data.
- To facilitate the centralization and integration of environmental exposure information.
- To create a framework for linking exposure science with diverse environmental health fields.
Main Methods:
- Defined major concepts for exposure data.
- Drafted the Exposure Ontology (ExO).
- Evaluated ExO with exposure scientists and ontology/database experts.
Main Results:
- Developed ExO with core concepts: exposure stressor, receptor, event, and outcome.
- Initial version focuses on human chemical exposures, with planned expansion.
- ExO is designed for integration with toxicology, epidemiology, and epigenetics.
Conclusions:
- The Exposure Ontology (ExO) provides a foundational framework for standardizing and integrating environmental exposure data.
- ExO is expected to enhance the translation of molecular insights and improve human and ecological risk assessments.
- Future community-driven expansion will broaden ExO's applicability to diverse environmental stressors and receptors.
Related Concept Videos
01:36Overview of Exosomes
Exosomes are stable, lipid bilayer-enclosed vesicles capable of crossing biological barriers. They can carry a wide range of molecules required for intercellular communication. Once exosomes are released from the cell where they originated, they enter a recipient cell through various pathways such as fusion, receptor-mediated endocytosis, macropinocytosis, and phagocytosis.
Stahl et al. discovered exosomes in 1983, but the exosomes were initially considered waste products released from the...
Stahl et al. discovered exosomes in 1983, but the exosomes were initially considered waste products released from the...
02:32Exon Recombination
The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes.
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...
00:51Exocytosis
Exocytosis is used to release material from cells. Like other bulk transport mechanisms, exocytosis requires energy.
00:50Exocytosis
Exocytosis is a process that releases molecules outside the cell. Like other bulk transport mechanisms, exocytosis requires energy.
Exocytosis is the opposite of endocytosis, which brings molecules inside the cell. Sometimes, the released materials are signaling molecules. For example, neurons typically use exocytosis to release neurotransmitters. Cells also use exocytosis to insert proteins such as ion channels into their cell membranes, secrete proteins for use in the extracellular matrix, or...
Exocytosis is the opposite of endocytosis, which brings molecules inside the cell. Sometimes, the released materials are signaling molecules. For example, neurons typically use exocytosis to release neurotransmitters. Cells also use exocytosis to insert proteins such as ion channels into their cell membranes, secrete proteins for use in the extracellular matrix, or...
00:49Ligand Binding and Linkage
Allosteric proteins have more than one ligand binding site; the binding of a ligand to any of these sites influences the binding of ligands to the other sites. When a protein is allosteric, its binding sites are called coupled or linked. In the case of enzymes, the site that binds to the substrate is known as the active site and the other site is known as the regulatory site. When a ligand binds to the regulatory site, this leads to conformational changes in the protein that can influence the...
00:49Ligand Binding and Linkage
Allosteric proteins have more than one ligand binding site; the binding of a ligand to any of these sites influences the binding of ligands to the other sites. When a protein is allosteric, its binding sites are called coupled or linked. In the case of enzymes, the site that binds to the substrate is known as the active site and the other site is known as the regulatory site. When a ligand binds to the regulatory site, this leads to conformational changes in the protein that can influence the...