title: FLIGHT: database and tools for the integration and cross-correlation of large-scale RNAi phenotypic datasets.
abstract: FLIGHT (www.flight.licr.org) is a new database designed to help researchers browse and cross-correlate data from large-scale RNAi studies. To date, the majority of these functional genomic screens have been carried out using Drosophila cell lines. These RNAi screens follow 100 years of classical Drosophila genetics, but have already revealed their potential by ascribing an impressive number of functions to known and novel genes. This has in turn given rise to a pressing need for tools to simplify the analysis of the large amount of phenotypic information generated. FLIGHT aims to do this by providing users with a gene-centric view of screen results and by making it possible to cluster phenotypic data to identify genes with related functions. Additionally, FLIGHT provides microarray expression data for many of the Drosophila cell lines commonly used in RNAi screens. This, together with information about cell lines, protocols and dsRNA primer sequences, is intended to help researchers design their own cell-based screens. Finally, although the current focus of FLIGHT is Drosophila, the database has been designed to facilitate the comparison of functional data across species and to help researchers working with other systems navigate their way through the fly genome.
authors.affiliation: Morphogenesis Group, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research UCL Branch, Courtauld Building, 91 Riding House Street, London, W1W 7BS, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sims
authors.forename: Borisas
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bursteinas
authors.forename: Qiong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Marketa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zvelebil
authors.forename: Buzz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baum
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D049750:Genome, Insect; D023281:Genomics; D020407:Internet; D010641:Phenotype; D034622:RNA Interference; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012984:Software; D018511:Systems Integration; D014584:User-Computer Interface
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins