PhenoMiner: an interactive tool for physiologists integrating phenotype data using multiple ontologies

Abstract

AimThe Rat Genome Database (RGD, http://rgd.mcw.edu) has been developing tools and resources to aid researchers in integration of genomic and phenomic data derived from rat research for the past 10 years. Following the development of the Phenotypes and Models Portal, a tool was created to integrate phenotype data sets from multiple sources. The new PhenoMiner tool delivers an interactive tool to query phenotype data by strain, phenotype, measurement method and experimental conditions.MethodsRGD was established primarily as a genomic resource but has gathered and curated physiological data for many years. The Phenotypes and Models Portal provides both new types of phenotype data, as well as different ways to access existing data in RGD. PhenoMiner was developed to integrate data collected from multiple laboratories, using a wide variety of techniques, and across many inbred, transgenic and knockout strains of rats. Data are integrated through the use of four ontologies (rat strain, clinical measurement, measurement method, experimental conditions).ResultsThe more than 12,000 records can be viewed graphically or in tabular format, allowing for easy comparison of phenotypes across strains.ConclusionPhenoMiner promises to be an effective and user‐friendly method to access, retrieve, and compare physiological data and identify ideal disease models for further studies.