Overview

The largest collection of Sugarcane ESTs was generated by SUCEST, a large consortium of Brazilian researchers whosequenced approximately 238,000 ESTs from 26 diverse cDNA libraries (Vettore et al. 2003). A Functional Genomics phase of the project followed the initial sequencing effort and a database was created to integrate sequences, gene expression data, gene categories and data mining tools which may allow comprehensive acceess to sugarcane genomics resources. The SUCEST-FUN Database has been developed in the concept of the mediator approach that incorporates concepts from Data Warehouse and Federation approaches. It is a flexible data plataform that assembles and integrates heterogeneous distributed data sources, experimental data, resources, the application of scientific algorithms and computational analysis. Bioinformatics and the management of scientific data are critical to support life sciences discoveries. Nowadays an explosion of available biological data and researches has risen up, most of themcompound and stored in dozen of smaller databases. Scientists are not currently able to easily identify and integrate autonomous data sources and exploit this information because of the variety of semantics, interfaces, and data formats used by the underlying data sources. The SUCEST-FUN Database is therefore being developed to give access to genomic and EST gene sequences, gene expression studies and make available tools that will allow a Systems Biology approach in sugarcane and the identification of regulatory networks.

Transcritome Projects and Coordinators