Links
Recommended resources for veterinary and animal science

Genetics

Information Gateways

123Genomics: a Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics Knowledge Base
The providers of this searchable information gateway have collected hundreds of genomics-related bookmarks. The site is arranged in eighteen major categories each containing links to bioinformatics- and genomics-related science news, research labs, databases, scientific societies, protocol guides, etc. Category headings include Microarrays, Molecular Pathways, Sequence Databases, Journals and Publications, and Diseases and Disorders.

General Resources

University of Sydney Library Catalogue
Some recommended subject headings on the University of Sydney Library Catalogue are:

• animal genetics
• veterinary genetics
• veterinary immunogenetics
• cytogenetics
• breeding and related subject headings
• animal breeding and related subject headings
• genetics and related subject headings

Check also under the name of a specific animals, for example:

• cats genetics
• horses breeding

Genetics: Recommended Reading List
This reading list was developed by the academic staff of the University of Sydney, Faculty of Veterinary Science. It is divided by subject and provides links to the University of Sydney Library Catalogue.

Electronic Scholarly Publishing (ESP) Foundations of Classical Genetics
ESP began as a personal project of Robert J. Robbins and it is now supported by the US Department of Energy. The project aims to electronically republish hundreds of papers defining the foundations of classical genetics. The collection is browsable by author, title or publication date. The site includes Genetics in Context: a Comparative Timeline which describes key events in the history of genetics with links to documents. Most documents are available in .pdf format and require Adobe Acrobat Viewer to be installed.

ReproGen
ReproGen is a research and commercial centre at the University of Sydney for integrated research, training and application of genetic and reproductive knowledge for the sustainable utilisation and well-being of domestic animals. It plays a key role in the Asia-Pacific for the FAO's Global Strategy for Maintenance of Farm Animal Diversity ensuring that unique genetic resources in livestock are conserved and used sustainably.

Human Genome Project Information
The Human Genome Program of the US Department of Energy funds this suite of web sites. The intended audience of the sites included range from students to scientists and extensive resources including links to courses and recommended sites are available.

MIT's Biology Hypertextbook
Designed to supplement the course materials of Massachusetts Institute of Technology 7.01 Introductory Biology course several chapters of the hypertextbook provide introductory genetics subject overviews including Mendelian Genetics, Central Dogma, Prokaryotic Genetics and Gene Expression and Recombinant DNA.

Model Organisms for Biomedical Research
This web site is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. It provides information about national and international activities and major resources that are being developed to facilitate biomedical research using both mammalian and non-mammalian animal models

Mammalian Genetics Unit
This is the web site of the Mammalian Genetics Unit, incorporating the Mouse Genome Centre, at the Medical Research Council in Harwell UK. It is a comprehensive site for mouse genetics research, molecular genetics, genomics, mutagenesis, transgenesis, microarraying, and bioinformatics.

University of Michigan Transgenic Animal Model Core
This website by the University of Michigan Transgenic Animal Model Core deals with all aspects of transgenic mice. It covers gene targeting, laboratory protocols, genotyping, and breeding. There are links to useful resources.

Introduction to Genetic Analysis. 7th ed.
This website is an electronic version of the book Introduction to Genetic Analysis. 7th ed. by Anthony J.F Griffiths et al published by W H Freeman & Co, New York, in 1999. The first half of the book introduces the intellectual framework of classical eukaryotic genetics in more or less historical sequence while the second half pursues the details of molecular genetics. It is made available on the web by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).

Modern Genetic Analysis
This website is an electronic version of the book Modern Genetic Analysis by Anthony J.F Griffiths et al published by W H Freeman & Co, New York, in 1999. It is made available on the web by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).

C. elegans II
This website is an electronic version of the book C. elegans II by Donald L. Riddle et al (eds) published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, New York, in 1997. The book examines in detail Caenorhabditis elegans, a nematode used as a model organism for genetic analysis. It is made available on the web by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).

Human Genome Sequencing Center
This website gives details of projects being undertaken by the Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas. The centre currently has sequencing projects for human, rat, CCS, drosophila, dictyostelium, chimpanzee, bovine, and rhesus macaque genomes.

General and medical genetics
Hypertextbook authored by Laura Austgen, R. A. Bowen, and Melissa Rouge and published by Colorado State University. Chapter titles include: Fundamental concepts of genetics, Genetic disease, and Medical genetic technology. The book is a work in progress and being regularly updated.

Genome Sequencing Center
The Genome Sequencing Center is based at Washington University Medical School, St Louis and focuses on the large scale generation and analysis of DNA sequence. Its website publishes the sequenced the genomes of several species including the mouse, chicken, chimpanzee, c elegans, drosophila, and human.

BMC Genetics
This is a open access electronic journal published by BioMed Central. "BMC Genetics publishes original research articles in all aspects of inheritance and variation in individuals and among populations."

BMC Genomics
Also publiched by BioMed Central. "BMC Genomics publishes original research articles in all aspects of gene mapping, sequencing and analysis, functional genomics, and proteomics."

UK Human Genome Mapping Project Resource Centre
The HGMP-RC provides researchers with access to research tools in the fields of genomics, genetics and functional genomics. Registration is free to academic users.

DNA from the beginning
An animated primer on the basics of DNA, genes and heredity published by the Dolan DNA Learning Center and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The site is divided into sections on Classical Genetics, Molecules of Genetics, and Genetic Organization and Control. The site features animation, images, video interviews, problems, biographies, and links.

DNA Interactive
Published by the Dolan DNA Learning Center and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory this website contains sections on the DNA code, gene manipulation, genomes, and DNA applications. The site features tutorials, problems, images and animations

Double Helix: 50 years of DNA
Collection of articles and graphics published by Nature that celebrate the historical, scientific and cultural impacts of the discovery of the double helix.

The Y chromosome
Collection of articles published by Nature on the sequencing of the Y chromosome.

DNA metabolism
Collection of articles published by Nature on the structure, duplication, and repair of DNA.

RNA interference
Collection of articles published by Nature on recent research on RNA interference (RNAi).

The coat colors of mice: a model for mammalian gene action and interaction
Electronic version of the book The coat colors of mice: a model for mammalian gene action and interaction by Willys K. Silvers originally published by Springer Verlag in 1979. This online version is published by Mouse Genome Informatics.

Mouse genetics: concepts and applications
Electronic version of the book Mouse genetics: concepts and applications by Lee M. Silver, originally published by Oxford University Press 1995. This online version is published by Mouse Genome Informatics.

Genetics databanks

Australian National Genomic Information Service: ANGIS
ANGIS operates from the Australian Genomic Information Centre (AGIC) based at the University of Sydney. The service, available to subscribers, offers software, databases, documentation, training and support for biologists. Features of the ANGIS system include: sequence analysis, genome analysis, data collection and handling, databases and phylogenetic inference.

Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA)
Compiled by F.W. Nicholas, S.C. Brown and P.R. Le Tissier at the University of Sydney, OMIA is "a database of the genes and phenes that have been documented in a wide range of animal species other than those for which databases already exist (human, rat and mouse)." It is modelled on, and is complementary to, Dr. Victor A. McKusick's Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM).

Interactive Bovine In Silico SNP (IBISS)
This database was created at the CSIRO by Rachel Hawken, Wes Barris and Brian Dalrymple. It aims to "create an in silico SNP database by harnessing the vast number of bovine EST sequences available in the public domain". IBISS is also a database of model bovine mRNAs. The mRNAs have a standard and uniform annotation, based on the human orthologues. "IBISS is searchable using human standard gene symbols, Genbank human Refseq accession numbers, Genbank bovine accession numbers, or by text searches of the descriptions and by sequence using BLAST." Users need to register to access the database. Registration is free.

DNA DataBank of Japan (DDBJ)
DDBJ is the sole DNA data bank in Japan, which is officially certified to collect DNA sequences from researchers and to issue the internationally recognised accession number to data submitters. DDBJ exchanges data with the European Molecular Biology laboratory database, produced by the European Bioinformatics Institute and GenBank, produced by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, on a daily basis, the three data banks share virtually the same data at any given time.

Entrez
Entrez is a search and retrieval system that integrates information from databases at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). These databases include nucleotide sequences, protein sequences, macromolecular structures, whole genomes and MEDLINE, through PubMed.

Mouse Genome Informatics Database
Published by the Jackson Laboratory, a non-profit institution and the World's largest mammalian genetic research facility. The Mouse Genome Informatics Database provides integrated access to data on the genetics, genomics and biology of the laboratory mouse.

European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI)
The EBI is part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and a centre for research and services in bioinformatics. The Institute manages databases of biological data including nucleic acid, protein sequences and macromolecular structures. A large number of tools are available on the site.

GenBank
GenBank is the National Institute of Health genetic sequence database, an annotated collection of publicly available DNA sequences. GenBank at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), together with the DNA DataBank of Japan (DDBJ) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) comprise the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration. These three organizations exchange data on a daily basis. The growth of GenBank has been exponential.

National Center for Biotechnology Information Established in the United States in 1988 as a resource for molecular biology information, NCBI creates public databases, conducts research in computational biology, develops software tools for analyzing genome data, and disseminates biomedical information.

Species 2000
"Species 2000 has the objective of enumerating all known species of plants, animals, fungi and microbes on Earth as the baseline dataset for studies of global biodiversity."

Animal Genome Size Database
The Animal Genome Size Database is a catalogue of animal genome size data. Haploid genome sizes (C-values) are currently available for over 2000 species and subspecies of vertebrates and over 800 species of invertebrates. C-values have been corrected as necessary where values reported for standards were incorrect. Taxonomy and common names have been updated.

EAAP Animal Genetic Databank
This database is created and maintained by the European Association for Animal Production based at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover. It monitors information on breeds and country populations of the farm animal species buffalo, cattle, goat, sheep, horse, ass, pig, and rabbit in 46 EAAP member countries and other European countries.

BBID-Biological Biochemical Image Database
A searchable database of images of biological pathways, macromolecular structures, gene families, and cellular relationships. It is run by the Gerontology Research Center, National Institute on Aging, and is useful for those working with large sets of genes or proteins.

FlyBase
A comprehensive database of the Drosphila genome, provided by the National Institutes of Health, U.S.A., and the Medical Research Council, London. FlyBase includes genetic maps, gene information, images, and links to other resources. A comprehensive user guide is provided.

The Edinburgh Mouse Atlas Project
A collaborative project between the MRC Human Genetics Unit, Edinburgh and the Department of Anatomy, University of Edinburgh, this website is intended as a digital atlas of mouse development and a database of gene expression. 3D images and movies of mouse development are used to build a digital model of each stage of mouse development.

Nematode.net
Nematode.net is a project of Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine. It involves projects to generate 315,000 ESTs (Expressed Sequence Tags) from about 30 parasitic nematode species. The website has been created to "to allow easy access to this new gene sequence information including expressed sequence tags (ESTs), NemaGene EST clusters, and sequence trace files".

Biotechnology

University of Sydney Library Catalogue
Some recommended subject headings on the University of Sydney Library Catalogue are listed below. Please check all related subject headings for comprehensive coverage.

• agricultural biotechnology
• animal biotechnology
• animal genetic engineering
• biotechnology
• genetic engineering
• transgenic animals
• cloning

Glossary of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering
Written by Dr Abdelouahhab Zaid, Dr Harrison G. Hughes, Dr Enrico Porceddu and Dr Frank Nicholas and published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) this is a full text glossary of terms in the broad fields of biotechnology and genetic engineering.

Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in food and Agriculture
Hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The stated objectives of the forum are: "to provide an open forum that will allow a wide range of parties, including governmental and non-governmental organisations, policy makers and the general public, to discuss and exchange views and experiences about specific issues concerning biotechnology in food and agriculture for developing countries. This will be done through a series of e-mail conferences, each lasting roughly two months, on specific topics, for which background (before the conferences) and summary documents (after) will be produced".

AgBiotechNet
"The Online Service for Agricultural Biotechnology", developed by CAB International and the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project, based at Michigan State University (funded by USAID). This site contains information on cloning, genomics, genetic engineering, in vitro culture, biosafety, intellectual property rights and key issues in agricultural biotechnology through news, reviews, abstracts reports, links, book chapters and much more. It is necessary to pay for a subscription to the service to use all of the content but some areas allow free access including links.

Roslin Institute Online: Information on Cloning and Nuclear Transfer
This site includes all the background material produced by the Institute on cloning and nuclear transfer: nuclear transfer and cloning notes, Roslin Institute Press Releases, key papers from Roslin (abstracts only, links to web sites and books discussing nuclear transfer, cloning, and related issues and links to other organisations working on nuclear transfer/cloning.

New Scientist Cloning Special Report
An overview of cloning with links to relevant articles, a Frequently Asked Question page and current articles on stem cells.

Scientific American
Scientific American provides access to several articles on cloning on its web site including: A Clone in Sheep's Clothing, an overview article with linked images, sites and references, Send in the Clones: Using a new technique, scientists have cloned clones from clones and Cloning Hits the Big Time which discusses the potential of cloned livestock. The best way to access all of the articles on this topic is by using the search function on the homepage.

Dolly the sheep
Published by Nature in April 2003, this special web focus relects on the life of Dolly the sheep, the world's first animal to be cloned from an adult cell, and who had died a week earlier. It presents an archive of articles and papers from the Nature family of journals, including original papers, news and features.

National Center for Biotechnology Information
This website by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was set up to further the use of computersed information processing methods for the conduct of biomedical research. NCBI creates public databases, conducts research in computational biology, develops software tools for analyzing genome data, and disseminates biomedical information.

About Biotechnology
This Web site is part of the Access Excellence forum and is sponsored by the National Health Museum. It contains links to information relevant to biotechnology such as ethical issues, practical applications of biotechnology, a brief history, career information and a graphics gallery.

Gene warfare to be waged on invasive fish
Writen by Rachel Nowark and published by NewScientist.com this brief article reports on research by CSIRO scientists aimed at genetically modifying an invasive species (European carp) in order to to stop the fish producing female offspring, thus forcing the population to crash.

Biotechnology and genetic engineering
Hypertextbook authored by Laura Austgen, R. A. Bowen, and Melissa Rouge and published by Colorado State University. Chapter titles include: DNA technology, Molecular cloning, and Expression of recombinant proteins. The book is a work in progress and being regularly updated.

Genetics in Animal Breeding

Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit
The Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit was established by the New South Wales State Department of Agriculture and the University of New England. It carries out research, development and training in the genetic improvement of livestock for the benefit of Australian agriculture.

The Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme (ADHIS)
ADHIS is an initiative of the Australian Dairy Farmers' Federation. The core activity of ADHIS is to calculate Australian Breeding Values (ABVs) for dairy traits. ADHIS maintains a national database of performance and pedigree details for individual dairy animals which is regularly updated with data collected by milk recording organisations and breed societies. The database is used to assist genetic improvement in the dairy industry by artificial breeding companies and dairy farmers. The site includes a list of useful links.

BREEDPLAN
BREEDPLAN is a beef cattle genetic evaluation system marketed by the Agricultural Business Research Institute at the University of New England, Australia. It covers a range of traits including birth weight, calving ease, growth, milking ability, fertility and carcase information. The site contains information about the system, notes, presentations, newsletters and links.

PIGBLUP
PIGBLUP is based on Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) models, a commonly used statistical method of assessing the breeding value of animals. PIGBLUP has been developed by the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit at the University of New England, Australia, with funding from the Pig Research and Development Corporation and is marketed by Agricultural Business Research Institute. The program was developed specifically for use in the pig industry. The site includes a pig picture gallery and a links page.

LIDA: Listing of Inherited Disorders in Animals
Published by the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, this resource is designed to "gather, collate and disseminate data on the prevalence of inherited disorders among Australian dogs". It is aimed at breeders, veterinarians and buyers of puppies. The database allows users to search inherited disorders by breed group or by organ system and provides details of disorders for each dog breed.

Guide to Congenital and Heritable Disorders in Dogs
First published by the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights and updated in 2000. This site is divided into two sections. Section I outlines the number of congenital and genetically transmitted diseases associated with a particular breed. Section II outlines the names and definitions of diseases mentioned in Section I.

GENUP: Computer aided learning for quantitative genetics
The main author of this site is Brian Kinghorn from the University of New England, Australia. GENUP includes a number of learning modules designed to assist the user to master concepts in quantitative genetics and its application to animal breeding. The modules are largely algorithm-based rather than information-based so users have the oportunity to "play with the properties of the subject rather than be given information about the subject". The program runs under Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT and is downloadable as a .zip file from the site.

Aglinks: Livestock breeding and genetics
The livestock breeding section of the Aglinks Australian Agriculture directory. Sites are judged according to their content, and the directory is updated on a continuous basis.

Genetic Maps of Animals - see also specific animals pages.

Ark Database
This site is hosted at the Roslin Institute, UK and has a number of international contributors. It includes databases for the cat, chicken, cow, deer, horse, pig, salmon, sheep, tilapia and turkey. It also provides links to a list of other sites and species.

NCBI Entrez Genome Project Database
"The NCBI Entrez Genome Project database is intended to be a searchable collection of complete and incomplete (in-progress) large-scale sequencing, assembly, annotation, and mapping projects for cellular organisms. The database is organized into organism-specific overviews that function as portals from which all projects in the database pertaining to that organism can be browsed and retrieved."

U.S. Livestock Genome Mapping Projects
This site is hosted at Iowa State University in the USA, it includes gene mapping projects for Cattle, Pigs, Chickens, Sheep, Horses, Turkeys, Goats, Rainbow Trout, Rabbits, Cats, Dogs, Flies, Mice and Rats from the United States and other countries.

Nature: genome gateway
Published by Nature this website provides a collection of genomics related articles, details of genome projects, and the latest genomics news.

INRA Biotechnology Laboratories Home Page
Published by the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) this site links to Micado (formerly MadBase), a database for microbial genomes and also to a range of livestock genome mapping programmes, including : BOVMAP database, GOATMAP database, HORSEMAP database and a list of other species databases which includes rainbow trout and rabbits. Links to other servers and resources are also included on the site.

Ensembl Genome Browser
The Ensembl database includes genetic information about a number of species, including humans, mice, rats, fugu, zebrafish and fruit flies. According to the website, emsembl provides "Easy access to sequence data; For known genes, predicted structure and location in the genome sequence; Prediction of novel genes, all with supporting evidence; Annotation of other features of the genome; Targeted connections to other genome resources worldwide." All content is freely accessible.

The mouse genome
This website is presented by the Nature Publishing Group and contains the entire content from the mouse genome special issue of Nature. This issue was dedicated to presenting the complete initial sequence and analysis of the mouse genome — the experimental key to the human genome.

The Interactive Fly
The Interactive Fly was created by Thomas B. Brody, Ph.D. and hosted by the Society for Developmental Biology. Although The Interactive Fly is primarily a guide to Drosophila genes and their roles in development, the developmental pathways section looks at developmental pathways found in Drosophila that are evolutionarily conserved across a wide variety of animal species. Well characterised pathways are listed and described in some detail and information and references for both vertebrate and invertebrate homologs of genes active in these pathways is available. The site is easy to navigate, well cross-referenced and may be of particular interest to animal scientists interested in developmental genetics.

Research databases and indexes

Recommended research databases and indexes for this area of study are: BIOSIS Previews, CAB Abstracts, MEDLINE, AGRICOLA and Web of Science.