MITOMAP - A HUMAN MITOCHONDRIAL GENOME DATABASE

We have developed a comprehensive database (MITOMAP) for the human mit ochondrial DNA (mtDNA), the first component of the human genome to be completely sequenced [Anderson et al. (1981) Nature 290, 457-465]. MIT OMAP uses the mtDNA sequence as the unifying element for bringing toge ther information on mitochondrial genome structure and function, patho genic mutations and their clinical characteristics, population associa ted variation, and gene-gene interactions. As increasingly larger regi ons of the human genome are sequenced and characterized, the need for integrating such information will grow. Consequently, MITOMAP not only provides a valuable reference for the mitochondrial biologist, it may also provide a model for the development of information storage and r etrieval systems for other components of the human genome.