Poster: Bioinformatics

Abs # 863: Genevestigator: an Arabidopsis thaliana microarray database and analysis toolbox

Presenter:	Gruissem, Wilhelm , wilhelm.gruissem@ipw.biol.ethz.ch
Authors	Zimmermann, Philip  (A)   Hirsch-Hoffmann, Matthias  (A)   Hennig, Lars  (A)   Gruissem, Wilhelm  (A)
Affiliations:	(A): Institute of Plant Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute Of Technology, ETH Zürich, Universitaetstrasse 2, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
Web Site:	http://www.pb.ethz.ch

With the rapidly increasing number of fully sequenced genomes, it now becomes possible to monitor gene expression on a genome scale. The information of gene expression coupled with technological and computational advances facilitates modeling approaches and understanding of genetic networks that direct function and development. At present, few tools have been developed for biologists to question large microarray gene expression databases using a web-browser interface. We present Genevestigator, a database for Affymetrix GeneChip® data coupled to a web-browser data mining interface. The user can query the database to follow the expression patterns of specific genes throughout chosen environmental conditions, growth stages, organs, or experiments. Reversely, mining tools allow to identify genes specifically expressed under chosen stresses, gowth stages or organs. The Genevestigator toolbox therefore aims at providing plant biologists with contextual information on the expression of genes, thereby directing functional discovery and design of new experiments.