March 18, 2010

The DNALC introduces two new websites!

DNA Subway: Fast Track to Gene Annotation and Genome Analysis

As a member of the NSF-funded iPlant Collaborative, the DNALC has developed DNA Subway , a bioinformatics workspace that makes high-level genome analysis broadly available to students and educators.

Built to complement other discovery environments under development, DNA Subway captures the essence of iPlant's goal: to develop computer (cyber) infrastructure that provides plant researchers and educators access to the large-scale datasets and high-powered informatics tools that drive modern biology.

"Riding" different lines in the DNA Subway, users can predict and annotate genes in up to 100,000 base pairs of DNA (Red Line), and prospect entire plant genomes for specific genes (Yellow Line). Additional lines are being developed to analyze next-generation sequencing transcriptome data, and to construct and work with phylogenetic trees.

Check the DNALC web site for faculty training workshops on DNA Subway and other genome analysis tools.

Take a "Ride" at DNAsubway.org >

Weed to Wonder:

How Humans Changed Corn and How Corn Changed Human Society

A product of collaboration with CSHL researcher Marja Timmermans and Michael Scanlon of Cornell University, Weed to Wonder launched in November to coincide with the publication of the sequence of the maize genome. Domesticated from an inedible weed, corn has a remarkable story that has been told surprisingly few times.

Video podcasts follow DNALC staff on a trip to Mexico to learn more about corn's origin, and feature interviews with scientists involved in completing the most complex plant genome sequenced to date. Volcanoes, caves, popcorn, and population genomics all come into the mix on this two-year project to document the corn plant’s natural, technological, and social history. As the Weed to Wonder site develops, it will become a one-stop resource on the story of corn; a 10,000 year epic of maize – from domestication to genome sequencing.

Go to WeedtoWonder.org >