January 1, 2009 (Vol. 29, No. 1)
URL:
http://david.abcc.ncifcrf.gov
Rating:
Strong Points: Useful tools
Weak Points: Narrowly aimed at users
Summary:
DAVID (database for annotation, visualization, and integrated discover) is yet another aim to provide tools for researchers to understand the meaning of data for large gene sets. Microarrays, of course, can easily overwhelm researchers with information, so putting it together is essential to enhance our under- standing of systems biology. DAVID allows researchers to discover function-related gene groups, display gene info in 2-D plots, link genes to disease, list interacting proteins, and view genes on pathway maps. Towards these ends, the site provides tools for functional annotations, gene function classification, gene ID conversion, and a gene name batch viewer. The site appears to be popular, with over 650 papers referencing it and over 1,200 uses per day. If you’re into genome-wide analysis of gene function, DAVID is worth at least a serious look at its contents.