July 1, 2011 (Vol. 31, No. 13)
URL:
http://eupathdb.org
Rating:
Strong Points: Up-to-date community resources, nice organization
Weak Points: Only Flash web tutorials (no written tutorials)
Summary:
EuPathDB (or rather, Eukaryotic Pathogen Database Resources) is like a set of nested Russian dolls…or an onion. Choose whatever analogy you’d like, but basically you’ll recognize the fact that this website has layers. Yes, databases within databases; sub-searches within searches. This NIH-supported Bioinformatics Resource Center (BRC) contains genomic datasets related to eleven eukaryotic pathogens, providing visitors with a number of options to browse/search the data. Genes, for instance, can be identified by parameters such as gene attributes, protein features, or cellular location. Additionally, one can search by other data types such as SAGE tags, ORFs, or SNPs. As for the “layers” component of the website, eight of the eleven pathogens featured on the site actually have their own pages within the larger EuPathDB. Each pathogen-specific page looks identical to the larger homepage in terms of search features and layout, but it handily provides users a more focused starting point for their investigations.
