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AmphiBase: A new genomic resource for non‐model amphibian species
Author(s) -
Kwon Taejoon
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
genesis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.093
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1526-968X
pISSN - 1526-954X
DOI - 10.1002/dvg.23010
Subject(s) - amphibian , biology , xenopus , genome , african clawed frog , evolutionary biology , gene , computational biology , vertebrate , transcriptome , genomics , resource (disambiguation) , genetics , ecology , computer science , gene expression , computer network
Abstract More than five thousand genes annotated in the recently published Xenopus laevis and Xenopus tropicalis genomes do not have a candidate orthologous counterpart in other vertebrate species. To determine whether these sequences represent genuine amphibian‐specific genes or annotation errors, it is necessary to analyze them alongside sequences from other amphibian species. However, due to large genome sizes and an abundance of repeat sequences, there are limited numbers of gene sequences available from amphibian species other than Xenopus . AmphiBase is a new genomic resource covering non‐model amphibian species, based on public domain transcriptome data and computational methods developed during the X. laevis genome project. Here, I review the current status of AmphiBase, including amphibian species with available transcriptome data or biological samples, and describe the challenges of building a comprehensive amphibian genomic resource in the absence of genomes. This mini‐review will be informative for researchers interested in functional genomic experiments using amphibian model organisms, such as Xenopus and axolotl, and will assist in interpretation of results implicating “orphan genes.” Additionally, this study highlights an opportunity for researchers working on non‐model amphibian species to collaborate in their future efforts and develop amphibian genomic resources as a community.