PomBase 2015: updates to the fission yeast database

Area of Science:

• Eukaryotic microbiology
• Bioinformatics
• Genomics

Background:

• Schizosaccharomyces pombe is a key model organism in biological research.
• A centralized, up-to-date database is crucial for the fission yeast community.
• Existing resources may lack comprehensive, integrated data or user-friendly interfaces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the features and recent improvements of PomBase, the model organism database for Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
• To highlight PomBase's role as a central hub for fission yeast research.
• To showcase the expanded data types and enhanced usability of the platform.

Main Methods:

• Data curation by in-house experts and community researchers.
• Integration of sequence, molecular, and phenotypic annotation data.
• Development of a genome browser for high-throughput studies and comparative genomics.

Main Results:

• PomBase provides easy access to diverse data, from sequence to genome-wide studies.
• Recent improvements include enhanced annotation specificity, improved usability, and monthly data updates.
• The platform now includes genomes for three additional Schizosaccharomyces species.

Conclusions:

• PomBase serves as an indispensable resource for the Schizosaccharomyces pombe research community.
• The database facilitates both exploratory and hypothesis-driven research through comprehensive data integration.
• Ongoing development ensures PomBase remains a leading platform for fission yeast biology.