July 1, 2010 (Vol. 30, No. 13)
Rating:
Strong Points: Simple web design, models load quickly
Weak Points: Some of the model legends are incomplete
Summary:
It is true that if you take a metabolic map or molecular interaction—if you hold it before your face and squint your eyes—it will bear a strong resemblance to a circuit board. Which is why the people behind cellcircuits.org got it just right with the name for this online resource. Heralding from the lab of Trey Ideker at the University of California San Diego, Cell Circuits serves as a bridge between pair-wise molecular interactions and validated pathway maps. Consisting of network models that contain genes from five organisms as diverse as parasites, yeast, and humans, Cell Circuits is an easily searchable database. One need only enter a protein/gene name or gene ontology term to bring up a number of published models of gene interactions, complete with citations and PubMed links. If you don’t know where to start, simply click “load example query” to see how it all works.