The IMPC has launched a new platform, the Genome Targeting Repository (GenTaR), for tracking the production and phenotyping of mutant mice. This resource facilitates collaboration across institutions and consortia and preventing duplication of effort.
The previous platform, the International Micro-Injection Tracking System (iMits), was built when the primary knockout technique was based on ES cells.
GenTaR has been created to capture more information on alleles produced using the IMPC’s current primary technique, CRISPR, such as when a deletion procedure results in several different mutation outcomes. It also allows us to track the production and phenotyping of mosaic embryos when genes are embryonic lethal, such as for haplo-essential genes.
The IMPC’s primary technique is now CRISPR. GenTaR has been created to capture more information about these alleles, for example when a deletion procedure results in several different mutation outcomes. It also allows us to track the production and phenotyping of mosaic embryos when genes are embryonic lethal, such as for haplo-essential genes.
iMits remains the repository for the ES cell-derived lines but, over the upcoming year, we will be migrating this data to GenTaR as well. Our objective is to have a single repository for all experiments.
GenTaR consists of an Application Programming Interface (API) and a web interface. The API allows for bulk data operations and fine-grain access to information stored in the database. Experiments recorded in GenTaR are organised into projects. A project captures all the work involved in making a mutant mouse line. Details about the work carried out are stored in production and phenotyping plans.
More information about GenTaR can be obtained from an API manual and a web manual. If you have any questions or would like to chat with us about GenTaR, please get in touch via our ‘contact us’ page.
Image credit: NIH Image Gallery from Bethesda, Maryland, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons