Schematic of information flow into the IKMC database. The IKMC database and web portal facilitate gene selection, prioritization and coordination among IKMC participants (purple shading). Data are updated daily. The master gene list for IKMC is maintained by synchronizing with genes represented in the MGI database. The MGI non-redundant mouse gene catalog is built by comparing and unifying genome annotations from Ensembl, Vega and NCBI (blue shading). Gene records in the IKMC database are then annotated with additional information from many resources, including MGI, NCBI (CCDS), the IMSR, the IGTC and the IKMC production centers and repositories.

Summary of the progress for the IKMC effort, as of August 2010. To date, mutant ES cell lines for 14 737 protein-coding genes have been generated by the IKMC. The table shows the number of genes for which targeting vectors, mutant ES cells and mutant mice are ready for distribution.

Query summary and detail pages. Query summaries (top) display one record for each gene matching the query. One can query by gene symbols, by various gene IDs and by genome coordinates. Matches to synonyms are returned as well and the reason for matching is indicated in the gene column. The gene column displays the official gene symbol, linked to the corresponding gene pages at MGI. Gene specific links to genome browsers and other external sites are provided. By following the ‘Express interest’ link, researchers can provide input on gene selection and prioritization for targeting experiments. The IKMC Knockout Attempts column lists all IKMC programs working on the gene. The status of the most advanced targeting effort per program is shown, with a link to more details. The availability of IKMC products is indicated by order links to the respective IKMC repositories. The Other Resources column displays the number of mutant ES cells and mice reported by the IMSR, IGTC and MGI with links to the corresponding entries at these sites. The Details page (bottom) lists all the IKMC knockout attempts for a given gene. The most advanced projects are displayed first. Available products are indicated by order links to the respective repositories. Clicking on the ‘Allele Details’ link (to the right of the project status bar) opens a graphical display illustrating the features of the mutant allele generated by the project. The ‘View this project’ link leads to more comprehensive targeting vector and mutant allele information (Figure 4).

Screenshot showing the detailed targeting vector and allele information provided at the IKMC web site. The example shown is a conditional-ready/knockout-first allele (3,20). The salient molecular features of the targeting vector and the resulting mutant allele in ES cells are displayed, including homology arms, the FRT and loxP sites and the location of primers used for quality controls. Ensembl exon IDs link to genome coordinate information. Links to GenBank files provide targeting vector and mutant allele information at the sequence level.