MaizeGDB: New Resources for Maize Researchers

MaizeGDB, the USDA-ARS maize genetics and genomics database, is a highly curated, community-oriented informatics service to researchers focused on the crop plant and model organism Zea mays. MaizeGDB facilitates maize research by curating, integrating, and maintaining a database that serves as the central repository for the maize community. In 2009, the first publicly released maize genome reference assembly became available. At this time MaizeGDB became more sequence-centric while still maintaining traditional maize genetics datasets. The research focus of the maize community has continued to evolve, making it necessary to continually redefine data access and data analysis tools. This poster details an overview of services provided by MaizeGDB. New genome sequences are incorporated into MaizeGDB through the creation of annotation/assembly pages, BLAST databases, and a genome browser. Recent work involves genome stewardship of the B73 RefGen_v4 (Zm-B73-REFERENCE-GRAMENE-4.0) assembly, including the improvement of associations between the v3 and v4 annotations. The degree of large and complex datasets being released today has made it necessary to coordinate with different databases to facilitate greater interoperability and ease of use for our users. To productively address these issues, MaizeGDB has lead the formation of a working group, AgBioData, comprised of over 110 people from over 30 agricultural databases. New tools currently under development include MaizeMine (an InterMine instance), SNPversity (a tool for querying and visualizing SNP data), and tools for visualizing metabolic networks. Lastly, user feedback has been a valuable contribution to our success as a public service.