ARS | Publication request: CMAP: THE COMPARATIVE GENETIC MAP VIEWER

Submitted to: Bioinformatics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: October 11, 2002
Publication Date: February 12, 2003
Citation: FANG, Z., POLACCO, M.L., CHEN, S., SCHROEDER, S., HANCOCK, D., SANCHEZ-VILLEDA, H., COE JR, E.H. CMAP: THE COMPARATIVE GENETIC MAP VIEWER. BIOINFORMATICS. 2003. v. 19. p. 416-417.

Interpretive Summary: Comparisons of gene order between related species and between chromosomes within a species are facilitated by graphical informatics tools. Within maize, there is duplication of large segments of the genome, whose dispersion is handily revealed through graphical comparisons. Comparisons within and among the cereal grasses in particular are sought in order to (1) understand the origin and evolution of the several species and (2) open the way to diagnosis of gene functions in one species through knowledge of others. The knowledge gained by scientists through having a graphical informatics tool for comparative analysis of genomes, both in gene order and in gene function, will provide for exploration and application of diversity, and for calculated improvement by breeding.

Technical Abstract: Comparative genomics for closely related species, such as the cereal grains, have demonstrated utility, not only for evolutionary biology, but also for postulating genetic function. We have developed cMap, a powerful Internet comparative genetic map graphical utility, that is portable, runs in a relational database environment, has a search capability, outputs text lists of shared loci, and has links out to Internet data resources. Currently, maps from three species (maize, rice, and sorghum) representing over 12,800 distinct loci are available for comparison at http://www.agron.missouri.edu/cMapDB/cMap.html.