title: OMIT: a domain-specific knowledge base for microRNA target prediction.
abstract: Identification and characterization of the important roles microRNAs (miRNAs) perform in human cancer is an increasingly active research area. Unfortunately, prediction of miRNA target genes remains a challenging task to cancer researchers. Current processes are time-consuming, error-prone, and subject to biologists' limited prior knowledge. Therefore, we propose a domain-specific knowledge base built upon Ontology for MicroRNA Targets (OMIT) to facilitate knowledge acquisition in miRNA target gene prediction. We describe the ontology design, semantic annotation and data integration, and user-friendly interface and conclude that the OMIT system can assist biologists in unraveling the important roles of miRNAs in human cancer. Thus, it will help clinicians make sound decisions when treating cancer patients.
authors: School of Computer and Information Sciences, University of South Alabama, 307 University Blvd. N, Mobile, Alabama, USA. huang@usouthal.edu
authors: Jingshan
authors: J
authors: Huang
authors: Christopher
authors: C
authors: Townsend
authors: Dejing
authors: D
authors: Dou
authors: Haishan
authors: H
authors: Liu
authors: Ming
authors: M
authors: Tan
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D051188:Knowledge Bases; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D012984:Software; D014584:User-Computer Interface
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs