MouseNet© database: digital management of a large-scale mutagenesis project

Abstract.

The Munich ENU Mouse Mutagenesis Screen is a large-scale mutant production, phenotyping, and mapping project. It encompasses two animal breeding facilities and a number of screening groups located in the general area of Munich. A central database is required to manage and process the immense amount of data generated by the mutagenesis project. This database, which we named MouseNet©, runs on a Sybase platform and will finally store and process all data from the entire project. In addition, the system comprises a portfolio of functions needed to support the workflow management of the core facility and the screening groups. MouseNet© will make all of the data available to the participating screening groups, and later to the international scientific community. MouseNet© will consist of three major software components: • Animal Management System (AMS) • Sample Tracking System (STS) • Result Documentation System (RDS) MouseNet© provides the following major advantages: • being accessible from different client platforms via the Internet • being a full-featured multi-user system (including access restriction and data locking mechanisms) • relying on a professional RDBMS (relational database management system) which runs on a UNIX server platform • supplying workflow functions and a variety of plausibility checks.