Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI) is a database that gives researchers and other users access to genetic, genomic, and biological data about laboratory mice that are being researched to aid with the study of human disease. Researchers can use information found on the database for biomedical, experimental, and computational studies. Projects contributing to this database include the Mouse Genome Database, Gene Expression Database, Mouse Models of Human Cancer database, Mouse Tumor Biology, and Gene Ontology.
Researchers can use quick search bar on the Mouse Genome Informatics database website to find information regarding topics relevant to them. They can also narrow the search by category, such as genes, phenotypes and alleles, human-mouse: disease connection, mouse models of human cancer, and more. The information available on the database uses scientific literature and sources and can be updated on the Mouse Genome Database via user input, where users can submit a form to update information. Users can also utilize genome analysis tools and protoype analysis tools.
MGI evolved from the Multilevel Analysis and Display of Mouse Genome Data project which began in 1989. The project was dubbed “Encyclopedia of the Mouse Genome” and was distributed on floppy disks in the early 1990s. MGI brought together the team from the “Multilevel Analysis and Display” project and the team that developed the Genomic Database for Mouse (GBASE). The Mouse Genome Database (MGD) was released in 1994. In 1994, the homepage which would later become MGI, contained links to MGD release 1.2 and to the Encyclopedia of the Mouse Genome for Unix and Mac. The goal of MGI was to merge database resources and build a robust infrastructure for access to combined data sources on genetic mapping, human-mouse gene homology, molecular reagents and variation, phenotypic descriptions of mutants and references. MGI became an umbrella resource that integrated several databases that were complimentary to MGD. The Mouse Genome Informatics group was established in 1992. When released in 1998, MGI 1.0 included MGD, the Gene Expression Database (GXD) and related software and data.
