MiRPathDB Week 5

As homework partner, Quinn Lanners and John Lopez worked together to analyze the miRPathDB database by following the template laid out on the week 5 assignment page.

To start this weeks assignment, we selected a database from one of the ones on the Nucleic Acids Research Database Issue Table of Contents 2017. After we had selected a database, and it was approved by Dr. Dahlquist, we began work on the assignment.

To make better use of our time, we decided on Thursday to break up the questions between ourselves. Then we could work separately on our own time to find the answers before coming together to put all of the information into a PowerPoint presentation. We decided that John would handle the questions "General Utility" questions of the database, while Quinn would handle the "Scientific Quality" questions of the database. As for the "General Information", which we figured would be easier to determine, we decided to answer those questions each individually as we looked into our specific part. Since the database research was broken up in this manner, the following section of the electronic journal is comprised of two separate accounts from each of us about how we retrieved the answers to our assigned questions.

• General Information:

1. The name of the database is miRPathDB Source: (https://mpd.bioinf.uni-sb.de/overview.html)
2. Two answers:
   1. This database contains mainly miRNA molecules and the different pathways you can find said molecule in. Source: (https://mpd.bioinf.uni-sb.de/about.html)
   2. Since the data for the database is collected through several previously-established databases, it is considered a secondary database. It is curated constructed using computer programs, electronically. We know it was made using in-house staff because all of the researchers’ names are listed. Source: (https://mpd.bioinf.uni-sb.de/about.html)
3. It would appear that the Center for Bioinformatics at Saarland University maintains the database. They are a large, public research university. Sources: (http://www.uni-saarland.de/en/info/university/about.html), (https://mpd.bioinf.uni-sb.de/about.html)
4. Only the funding for keeping it open access was displayed, and tis came from Saarland University. ‘’’Source:’’’ (https://academic.oup.com/nar/article/45/D1/D90/2290890/miRPathDB-a-new-dictionary-on-microRNAs-and-target)

I aimed to answer the following questions regarding our database:

• Scientific quality of the database
  1. Does the content appear to completely cover its content domain?
     • How many records does the database contain?
     • What claims do the database owners make about coverage in the corresponding paper?
  2. What species are covered in the database?
  3. Is the database content useful? I.e., what biological questions can it be used to answer?
  4. Is the database content timely?
     • Is there a need in the scientific community for such a database at this time?
     • Is the content covered by other databases already?
     • When did the database first go online?
     • How often is the database updated?
     • When was the last update?

In order to answer these questions I read the article covering the miRPathDB from the Nucleic Acids Research and by analyzing the actual miRPathDB website.

• 1. Does the content appear to completely cover its content domain? Answer: This database seems to have very strong coverage of the targets and pathways of mRNAs, but has not information on the mRNAs themselves. While this does align with what the database claims to cover, information on the mRNAs themselves would allow for a more full coverage of the field.(https://academic.oup.com/nar/article/45/D1/D90/2290890/miRPathDB-a-new-dictionary-on-microRNAs-and-target) (https://mpd.bioinf.uni-sb.de/overview.html)
     • How many records does the database contain? Answer: Contains records for primarily Homo sapiens but also has records on Mus musculus for comparison purposes. There are a total of 2,599 human mRNAs contained in the DB with 14,773 experimentally validated target genes and 19281 predicted targets genes. Also a total of 12,875 biochemical pathway categories. As for Mus musculus, there are 1,933 miRNA covered and 8,201 biochemical pathways categories. (https://mpd.bioinf.uni-sb.de/overview.html) and (https://academic.oup.com/nar/article/45/D1/D90/2290890/miRPathDB-a-new-dictionary-on-microRNAs-and-target)
     • What claims do the database owners make about coverage in the corresponding paper? Answer: They claim to cover a broad range of mRNAs (primarily in Home sapiens) in regards to target genes, and functional pathways for mRNAs to show how they function. (https://academic.oup.com/nar/article/45/D1/D90/2290890/miRPathDB-a-new-dictionary-on-microRNAs-and-target)
  2. What species are covered in the database? Answer: Primarily Homo sapiens with some information on Mus musculus for comparison purposes. (https://mpd.bioinf.uni-sb.de/overview.html)
  3. Is the database content useful? I.e., what biological questions can it be used to answer? Answer: This database can be used to better understand which mRNAs play a role in a variety of human biological pathways. Such understanding may be useful in better understanding a number of pathways and the importance of mRNAs. (https://academic.oup.com/nar/article/45/D1/D90/2290890/miRPathDB-a-new-dictionary-on-microRNAs-and-target)
  4. Is the database content timely? Answer: Very much so. With the increasing knowledge on human mRNAs and how they interact with pathways, this DB provides both information on the mRNAs along with a way to analyze this complex information. (https://academic.oup.com/nar/article/45/D1/D90/2290890/miRPathDB-a-new-dictionary-on-microRNAs-and-target)
     • Is there a need in the scientific community for such a database at this time? Answer: Yes. They need a way to store and analyze all of the complex information on mRNAs. (https://academic.oup.com/nar/article/45/D1/D90/2290890/miRPathDB-a-new-dictionary-on-microRNAs-and-target)
     • Is the content covered by other databases already?: There is a more expansive DB called miRBase that gives actual general information on each mRNA, although this database appears to be much harder to navigate and does not have such easy features to analyze how the mRNAs factor into pathways. There is also information in the form of mRNA targets from miRDB, TergetScan, and DianaTools, although these DBs don't have expansive information on the mRNAs. (http://www.mirbase.org), (https://academic.oup.com/nar/article/45/D1/D90/2290890/miRPathDB-a-new-dictionary-on-microRNAs-and-target), (http://diana.imis.athena-innovation.gr/DianaTools/index.php), (http://www.targetscan.org/vert_71/), and (http://www.mirdb.org)
     • When did the database first go online? Answer: Can't find this information
     • How often is the database updated? Answer: Can't find this information
     • When was the last update? Answer: Biological categories: 11 Jan 2016. miRNA Targets: 09 Sept 2016. (https://mpd.bioinf.uni-sb.de/documentation.html)

• General Utility:

1. Whenever a search is performed for an miRNA molecule, the database provides a link to that molecule from the following sites: (http://www.mirbase.org/). It also directs you to a link that tells you what tissue that molecule might be located in using the following site: (https://ccb-web.cs.uni-saarland.de/tissueatlas/patterns). NOTE: It will link you to these databases whether or not you search a mouse or human miRNA. Sources: (https://mpd.bioinf.uni-sb.de/mirna.html?mirna=hsa-miR-1976&organism=hsa), (https://mpd.bioinf.uni-sb.de/mirna.html?mirna=hsa-miR-1976&organism=mmu)
2. It is very convenient to browse the data since it is organized first by species (human or mouse), then since the database is organized in a matrix, you can view the database and search through it by either the individual MiRNA and what pathways it is involved in or the pathways that contain the given kind of MiRNA.Source: (https://mpd.bioinf.uni-sb.de/pathways.html?organism=hsa)
3. It is somewhat convenient to download the data. The raw data is first given in both .tar.gz format and .zip on a designated page. While .zip is the standard way to compress a file, a .tar.gz acts as a container for compressed files and unless you are using Linux or MacOS, you need a software to open it. Finally, each of the queries can be downloaded into a new spreadsheet in either .xlsx or .csv format, both of which are standard formats. Sources: (https://mpd.bioinf.uni-sb.de/download.html), (https://mpd.bioinf.uni-sb.de/pathway.html?database=KEGG&pathway=MicroRNAs%20in%20cancer&organism=hsa)
4. I would say that the website is extremely well organized. It contains a very detailed tutorial in both a web page form and a .pdf download. The search options are very well-organized since they are separated by species, and the results can be either by pathway or by molecule. When I ran a query for the molecule "hsa-miR-1976" for example, two tables were returned that contained well organized-data that had their own search queries. Source: (https://mpd.bioinf.uni-sb.de/mirna.html?mirna=hsa-miR-1976&organism=hsa)
5. There are no restrictions on access nor is there a license agreement to use the database. Source: (https://mpd.bioinf.uni-sb.de/about.html)

After we had both individually researched the answers to our questions, we met