Janan T. Eppig

The IKMC web portal: a central point of entry to data and resources from the International Knockout Mouse Consortium.

The International Knockout Mouse Consortium (IKMC) aims to mutate all protein-coding genes in the mouse using a combination of gene targeting and gene trapping in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and to make the generated resources readily available to the research community. The IKMC database and web portal (www.knockoutmouse.org) serves as the central public web site for IKMC data and facilitates the coordination and prioritization of work within the consortium. Researchers can access up-to-date information on IKMC knockout vectors, ES cells and mice for specific genes, and follow links to the respective repositories from which corresponding IKMC products can be ordered. Researchers can also use the web site to nominate genes for targeting, or to indicate that targeting of a gene should receive high priority. The IKMC database provides data to, and features extensive interconnections with, other community databases.

The Mouse Tumor Biology Database (MTB): A Central Electronic Resource for Locating and Integrating Mouse Tumor Pathology Data

The Mouse Tumor Biology Database (MTB) is designed to provide an electronic data storage, search, and analysis system for information on mouse models of human cancer. The MTB includes data on tumor frequency and latency, strain, germ line, and somatic genetics, pathologic notations, and photomicrographs. The MTB collects data from the primary literature, other public databases, and direct submissions from the scientific community. The MTB is a community resource that provides integrated access to mouse tumor data from different scientific research areas and facilitates integration of molecular, genetic, and pathologic data. Current status of MTB, search capabilities, data types, and future enhancements are described in this article.

Diversity of Spontaneous Neoplasms in Commonly Used Inbred Strains of Laboratory Mice

Cancer is not a solitary disease but a large group of very different, often totally unrelated diseases that are often fatal. Inbred strains are in many ways equivalent to being an endless copy of one individual with both genders. As such, some strains are highly prone to specific types of cancers while others are not. In mice, similarly to humans, the frequency of cancer rises with age. The Jackson Aging Center characterized all types of cancers that arose in mice in 28 different strains at 20 months of age. A summary of these results with links to images in publicly accessible databases are provided here. Data obtained from the literature involving many additional inbred strains, part of the Mouse Tumor Biology Database, are also presented.