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The Human PAX6 Mutation Database
Introduction
Methods
PAX6 Curation program
World Wide Web Interface
What Is In The Database?
PAX6 Curation Program: MS Access Database
Importing data submitted via the WWW
Adding a new record
World Wide Web Interface
Submitting new mutations
Searching the system
Other data formats and demonstration Curation program
Links to other web sites
Using The Database
Electronic Addresses
World Wide Web
Citing The Human PAX6 Mutation Database
acknowledgement
References
The Human PAX6 Mutation Database
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
The PAX6 Mutation Database was created to satisfy the need for a single source of information about human PAX6 gene mutations which are associated with developmental eye anomalies. It contains data produced in the MRC Human Genetic Unit, data gathered from the literature, and data submitted by researchers via the World Wide Web (WWW). PAX6 mutations have been found in a variety of dominantly inherited congenital eye defects including aniridia (absence of the iris), Peters anomaly, cataract, keratitis and isolated foveal hypoplasia. The overwhelming majority of PAX6 mutations have been found in aniridia patients, and these almost always lead to premature termination of translation of the PAX6 protein. Only four missense mutations have been reported to date; two associated with aniridia, one with Peters anomaly and one with foveal hypoplasia. A genotype-phenotype correlation is beginning to emerge: missense PAX6 mutations are very rare in typical aniridia cases and may tend to cause variant phenotypes. A review of PAX6 mutations based on the data contained in this database is in press (1).
The PAX6 Mutation Database system comprises two distinct parts. (i) The PAX6 Curation Program which is a Microsoft Access database providing facilities for the Curator to add/amend/search entries, to import new mutations submitted via the WWW, and to export the data for publication on the WWW. This program is only used by the Curator. (ii) A WWW site which contains HTML forms allowing remote users to submit new mutations and search existing data. Additional information such as gene maps and links to other PAX6 web sites is also included on the WWW page.
METHODS
PAX6 Curation program
The PAX6 Curation program was developed with Microsoft Access 2.0 (Microsoft Corporation) on a PC running Windows 3.1 and latterly Windows 95. A 32 bit Windows version for Windows 95/NT is being developed. Microsoft Access was chosen because the program is generally used only by the Curator and can easily be kept on a laptop computer.
World Wide Web Interface
HTML 3.2 compliant web pages and forms were written using Wordpad under Windows 95 or vi under UNIX. The HTML forms use JavaScript 1.0, but operate with non-JavaScript web browsers or have an alternative non-JavaScript version. All cgi scripts were written in C and compiled using the GNU C compiler (gcc, The Free Software Foundation). The CERN WWW server (httpd V3.0, available from http://www.w3.org/pub/WWW/Daemon/ ) was run on a Sun UltraSPARC 1 running Solaris 2.5.1 (Sun Microsystems Ltd).
WHAT IS IN THE DATABASE?
At the time of submission the database contained 94 mutations. Four of these describe neutral polymorphisms in the PAX6 gene which have been identified in normal individuals; the remainder describe mutations which have been found in individuals with aniridia and related eye disorders. Some of these mutations have been identified independently by different laboratories. `Compound' mutations (e.g., deletion and insertion at a site) are treated as two or more mutations which are linked within the database; there are three examples of this to date. There are 35 database fields which are designed to provide as much information as possible about each sequence variant. Table 1 lists the database fields, the possible values and/or meaning of each, and whether the field is entered by the Curator/submitter or is one of 15 fields calculated by the Curation program using known information already stored in the database such as cDNA sequence, genetic code, nucleotide numbering of introns/exons (2) and location of domains. A few fields are optional, permitting additional information to be included. This particular database is specific to PAX6 but can be tailored to meet the requirements of other genes with differing structures.
Table
PAX6 CURATION PROGRAM: MS ACCESS DATABASE
The PAX6 Curation program (Fig. 1) allows the Curator to add new mutations either directly, or by importing data submitted via the WWW form (see below). Data submitted via the web can be reviewed and checked by the Curator before final addition to the master database. The Curation program also allows searching of the data through a custom designed query form (Fig. 2). Data can be exported from the Curation system in various formats including delimited text for use as a flat file database, and Microsoft Excel format which can be converted to HTML for incorporation into the Web pages, used directly for publication (1) to produce multi-page tabular output, or to allow users to perform their own analysis of the data.
Figure
Figure
A demonstration version of the Curation program with read-only database can be down-loaded from the PAX6 Mutation Database web site. The program requires a 486 PC with 8 MB ram, 10 MB free disk space and Windows 3.x or above as a minimum configuration. A new PAX6 mutation submitted via the WWW is stored in a file in a secure network location for access by the PAX6 Curation program, and the PAX6 curator is automatically emailed with the name of the submitted file. Clicking the import button on the import/export screen of the Curation program causes the data to be read and converted into a Microsoft Access table of the same structure as the table storing the existing PAX6 mutation data. For each record in the import table, certain fields are calculated from existing information (see `Adding a new record' below). The Curator can then choose to add each imported record to the master PAX6 mutation database and, if necessary, add further data or comments to each record.
Adding a new mutation, either directly to the Curation Program or imported from a WWW submission, is made simpler by calculating the values of some fields. These are based on the location and type of mutation and the following pre-stored information: cDNA sequence, nucleotide numbering of exons and introns, location of domains, and the genetic code. Data entry is broken up into discrete sections. (i) Location. On indicating the region of the mutation, i.e., exon, intron, 5[prime] or 3[prime], some fields may be calculated automatically. If the region is exon, then entry of the nucleotide number at which the mutation occurs allows automatic calculation of the codon number, exon number, and domain where the mutation is sited. (ii) Mutation. The type of mutation can be substitution, insertion or deletion. If a substitution, entering the nucleotide number allows calculation of the original nucleotide, codon and amino acid. When the substitution is entered, the program calculates the new codon, the new amino acid (if the mutation is not neutral), and whether the mutation is a transition or transversion. If an insertion, the Curator indicates whether it is an insertion with duplication, with partial duplication, or with no duplication. Entry of the insertion sequence causes automatic calculation of the size of the inserted sequence. If a deletion, then the deletion sequence is entered and the size calculated. (iii) Predicted RNA outcome. From the type of mutation some predictions of RNA outcome can be made. If the mutation is exonic and a substitution, it can be determined if the resulting RNA will have a missense, nonsense or neutral outcome. If an insertion or deletion, it is possible to predict whether the mutation results in an in-frame or a frameshift outcome. The Curator can also indicate in this section if a splicing error is possible. (iv) Predicted/possible protein outcome. Predictions of protein outcome are not made, but some limited predictions may be made in future versions. Currently the Curator predicts the outcome. (v) Other details. This section is concerned with phenotype, sex, origin, inheritance, id and references. Details of possible values are contained in Table 1. There are also fields for submitter's experimental evidence for RNA and protein outcome, a comments box, and date of submission.
Importing data submitted via the WWW
Adding a new record
WORLD WIDE WEB INTERFACE
The PAX6 Mutation Database web pages (Fig. 3) contain general information about the PAX6 gene, but primarily provide (i) a means of submitting new mutations to the database, (ii) a means of searching the data, and (iii) links to other web sites containing information on the PAX6 gene.
Figure
New mutations can be submitted to the Curator for addition to the database via a WWW form. The form comprises several sections which must be completed by the user. Items listed in Table 1 as being entered by the submitter must be completed in addition to name, organisation, address and Email address. Upon completion of the form, the user has the option of making a `Test' submission which processes the data and performs error checks as normal, but displays the data on screen for the user rather than sending the data to the Curator. A variety of errors are checked, including missing data and inconsistent data such as invalid nucleotide number in the codon region or intron number outside the allowed range. When the user is satisfied with the form data, they can be submitted to the Curator via the `Submit' button. Upon submission, error checking is carried out (in case the user has not performed a `Test' submission) and the data are stored in a file in a read-only archive directory of submissions. A copy of the file is made available to the Curator in another directory, and the Curator is automatically emailed with the file name of the new submission. The Curator can then import the submission(s) into the PAX6 Curation Program where the data are checked before being added to the database proper (see above). If appropriate, the curator may contact the submitter to confirm or augment the details originally submitted, thus ensuring uniformity of the available information on each mutation. Maximal information should be submitted, in particular any detail on phenotypic variation between family members and the presence of associated or unrelated anomalies. For example, if apparently unrelated phenotypic features recur at significant frequency, these may highlight previously unsuspected pleiotropic effects of gene function. This is the type of information which makes a mutation database an important tool in defining gene function in terms of phenotype.
The database can be queried by selecting options on a web form. The user can select the basic search query by checking the appropriate `checkboxes' on the web form. Table 2 lists the groups of properties which can searched for in this way: items within groups are OR'd whilst properties between groups are AND'd. The search can be further narrowed by restricting the range of nucleotide number, codon number, exon number and intron number to be retrieved. Specific substitutions can be extracted, and sub-string searches can be included on text fields such as `References' and `Comments'. A choice of output is available: either full data for each matching record, concise data comprising selected fields, or mutation summary ID only (3). Table
Should users wish to carry out a custom analysis of the data, the mutation database is exported in plain text (comma separated value) format. This file can be downloaded from the WWW page and imported into various packages such as Microsoft Excel. A demonstration version of the Curation program can also be downloaded.
Links to other PAX6 web sites include the PAX6 data at GDB, OMIM, and the GeneCard entry at the Weizmann Institute. Links to other mutation web sites include the Human Gene Mutation Database, (Institute of Medical Genetics, Cardiff, UK), the Mutation Database Website (University of Melbourne, Australia) and Mutations at EBI (European Bioinformatics Institute, UK).
Submitting new mutations
Searching the system
MUTATION PROPERTY GROUPS SEARCHABLE BY `POINT & CLICK' INTERFACE
Location
Domain
Mutation type
Predicted RNA outcome
Predicted protein outcome
Inheritance
Origin
Sex
Phenotype
Other data formats and demonstration Curation program
Links to other web sites
USING THE DATABASE
The PAX6 Mutation Database has been used extensively in the preparation of a review of PAX6 mutations (1). The database has proved useful in deriving statistics of the distribution of mutations across the gene (the paired domain has a noticeably higher level of mutation than other domains), and of the incidence with which specific mutations occur (most of the mutation in the homeodomain occurs in the hypermutable CpG dinucleotide in codon 240).
ELECTRONIC ADDRESSES
World Wide Web
The URL for the Human PAX6 Mutation Database is
The Curator can be contacted by Email at pax6.curator@hgu.mrc.ac.uk
CITING THE HUMAN PAX6 MUTATION DATABASE
Users of the Human PAX6 Mutation Database are asked to cite this article and quote the above World Wide Web address.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to thank Isabel Hanson for her critical reading of the manuscript.
REFERENCES
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Last modification: 17 Dec 1997
Copyright© Oxford University Press, 1998.
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