title: Virus Variation Resource--recent updates and future directions.
abstract: Virus Variation (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomes/VirusVariation/) is a comprehensive, web-based resource designed to support the retrieval and display of large virus sequence datasets. The resource includes a value added database, a specialized search interface and a suite of sequence data displays. Virus-specific sequence annotation and database loading pipelines produce consistent protein and gene annotation and capture sequence descriptors from sequence records then map these metadata to a controlled vocabulary. The database supports a metadata driven, web-based search interface where sequences can be selected using a variety of biological and clinical criteria. Retrieved sequences can then be downloaded in a variety of formats or analyzed using a suite of tools and displays. Over the past 2 years, the pre-existing influenza and Dengue virus resources have been combined into a single construct and West Nile virus added to the resultant resource. A number of improvements were incorporated into the sequence annotation and database loading pipelines, and the virus-specific search interfaces were updated to support more advanced functions. Several new features have also been added to the sequence download options, and a new multiple sequence alignment viewer has been incorporated into the resource tool set. Together these enhancements should support enhanced usability and the inclusion of new viruses in the future.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA.
authors.forename: J Rodney
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Brister
authors.forename: Yiming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: Sergey A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Zhdanov
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ostapchuck
authors.forename: Vyacheslav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chetvernin
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kiryutin
authors.forename: Leonid
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zaslavsky
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kimelman
authors.forename: Tatiana A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Tatusova
mesh_terms: D030541:Databases, Genetic; D005814:Genes, Viral; D016679:Genome, Viral; D023281:Genomics; D020407:Internet; D058977:Molecular Sequence Annotation; D009975:Orthomyxoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014764:Viral Proteins; D014780:Viruses / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins