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IMGT®, the International ImMunoGeneTics Information System® for Immunoinformatics

Methods for Querying IMGT® Databases, Tools, and Web Resources in the Context of Immunoinformatics

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Abstract

IMGT®, the International ImMunoGeneTics information system® (http://imgt.cines.fr), was created in 1989 by the Laboratoire d’ImmunoGénétique Moléculaire (LIGM) (Université Montpellier 2 and CNRS) at Montpellier, France, in order to standardize and manage the complexity of immunogenetics data. IMGT® is recognized as the international reference in immunogenetics and immunoinformatics. IMGT® is a high quality integrated knowledge resource, specialized in (i) the immunoglobulins (IG), T cell receptors (TR), major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of human and other vertebrates; (ii) proteins that belong to the immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) and to the MHC superfamily (MhcSF); and (iii) related proteins of the immune systems (RPI) of any species. IMGT® provides a common access to standardized data from genome, proteome, genetics, and three-dimensional (3D) structures for the IG, TR, MHC, IgSF, MhcSF, and RPI. IMGT® interactive on-line tools are provided for genome, sequence, and 3D structure analysis. IMGT® Web resources comprise 10,000 HTML pages of synthesis and knowledge (IMGT Scientific chart, IMGT Repertoire, IMGT Education, etc.) and external links (IMGT Bloc-notes and IMGT other accesses).

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Acknowledgments

I thank Véronique Giudicelli, Patrice Duroux, Quentin Kaas, Joumana Jabado-Michaloud, Géraldine Folch, Chantal Ginestoux, Denys Chaume, and Gérard Lefranc for helpful discussions. I am deeply grateful to the IMGT® team for its expertise and constant motivation. IMGT® is a registered mark of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). IMGT® has received the National Bioinformatics Platform RIO label since 2001 (CNRS, INSERM, CEA, and INRA). IMGT® was funded in part by the BIOMED1 (BIOCT930038), Biotechnology BIOTECH2 (BIO4CT960037) and 5th PCRDT Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources (QLG2-200001287) programmes of the European Union (EU). IMGT® is currently supported by the CNRS, the Ministère de l’Education Nationale, de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche (MENESR) (Université Montpellier 2 Plan Pluri-Formation, Institut Universitaire de France), Réseau National des Génopoles, the Région Languedoc-Roussillon, the Agence Nationale de la Recherche ANR (BIOSYS06_135457, FLAVORES), and the EU ImmunoGrid (IST-028069).

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  1. IMGT, The International ImMunoGeneTics Information System, Laboratoire d’ImmunoGénétique Moléculaire, Université Montpellier 2, Institut de Génétique Humaine, IGH, UPR CNRS 1142, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Marie-Paule Lefranc

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Lefranc, MP. IMGT®, the International ImMunoGeneTics Information System® for Immunoinformatics. Mol Biotechnol 40, 101–111 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12033-008-9062-7

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