The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) Carolyn J. Mattingly,1,2,3 Glenn T. Colby,1,2,3
John N. Forrest,2,3,4 and James L. Boyer2,3,4 1Department of Bioinformatics, 2Center for Membrane
Toxicity Studies, and 3Center for Marine Functional Genomic
Studies, Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Salsbury Cove, Maine,
USA; 4Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine,
New Haven, Connecticut, USA Abstract The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Salsbury Cove, Maine, USA, is developing the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) , a community-supported genomic resource devoted to genes and proteins of human toxicologic significance. CTD will be the first publicly available database to a) provide annotated associations among genes, proteins, references, and toxic agents, with a focus on annotating data from aquatic and mammalian organisms ; b) include nucleotide and protein sequences from diverse species ; c) offer a range of analysis tools for customized comparative studies ; and d) provide information to investigators on available molecular reagents. This combination of features will facilitate cross-species comparisons of toxicologically significant genes and proteins. These comparisons will promote understanding of molecular evolution, the significance of conserved sequences, the genetic basis of variable sensitivity to environmental agents, and the complex interactions between the environment and human health. CTD is currently under development, and the planned scope and functions of the database are described herein. The intent of this report is to invite community participation in the development of CTD to ensure that it will be a valuable resource for environmental health, molecular biology, and toxicology research. Key words: aquatic, comparative, database, environmental health, fishes, genomic, health, toxicogenomics, toxicology. Environ Health Perspect 111:793-795 (2003) . The full version of this article is available for free in HTML or PDF formats. |