Selecting the fittest data on mouse mutations
Inducing targeted mutations – precise and stable changes of the genetic code – helps understand gene function and generate models for many diseases including cancer. The International Knockout Mouse Consortium (IKMC) was created to coordinate the various pan-national projects already underway in the field of mouse mutagenesis. The EU-funded I-DCC (The international data coordination centre) project was set up to provide a single point of entry for all the IKMC resources. I-DCC now provides information for all the IKMC mutant mouse cell lines and mice held in repositories around the world through a dedicated website. This site contains a searchable master list of all mouse genes, the molecular structure of knock-out alleles and links to repositories that distribute knockout cells and mice. The IKMC has coordinated an international approach reflected in the sheer scale of the output of large mutagenesis programmes such as the European Conditional Mouse Mutagenesis Program (EUCOMM) and the Knockout Mouse Project (KOMP). Reducing redundant practices and having produced some 18 000 knock out embryonic stem (ES) cells, has facilitated further research on the mammalian genome. In addition, I-DCC integrates other relevant scientific information such as mouse phenotype data and a searchable knowledge-base. The website receives 15 000 visits each month, a clear sign of the project's success. One of the ultimate goals of the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) is to produce mice from ES cells for phenotyping. I-DCC has developed interfaces to coordinate this initiative. By merging the IKMC and IMPC websites, the maintenance and display of IKMC data has been safeguarded for the foreseeable future. Services provided by the IMPC fulfil the needs of the whole biomedical community as well as the public and community for functional genetics information. Users are even able to register for a gene of interest and they receive an alert when information becomes available. Applications of this resource are wide-ranging from basic gene function to biomanufacturing, pharma industry, agriculture and biomedicine. Large-scale coordinated programmes of this kind should help national research bodies better pool their resources and avoid repetition.
Keywords
Mouse mutation, mutagenesis, mammalian genome, phenotype, IMPC
