Reference: Cherry JM (2015) The Saccharomyces Genome Database: Gene Product Annotation of Function, Process, and Component. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2015(12):pdb.prot088914

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Abstract


An ontology is a highly structured form of controlled vocabulary. Each entry in the ontology is commonly called a term. These terms are used when talking about an annotation. However, each term has a definition that, like the definition of a word found within a dictionary, provides the complete usage and detailed explanation of the term. It is critical to consult a term's definition because the distinction between terms can be subtle. The use of ontologies in biology started as a way of unifying communication between scientific communities and to provide a standard dictionary for different topics, including molecular functions, biological processes, mutant phenotypes, chemical properties and structures. The creation of ontology terms and their definitions often requires debate to reach agreement but the result has been a unified descriptive language used to communicate knowledge. In addition to terms and definitions, ontologies require a relationship used to define the type of connection between terms. In an ontology, a term can have more than one parent term, the term above it in an ontology, as well as more than one child, the term below it in the ontology. Many ontologies are used to construct annotations in the Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD), as in all modern biological databases; however, Gene Ontology (GO), a descriptive system used to categorize gene function, is the most extensively used ontology in SGD annotations. Examples included in this protocol illustrate the structure and features of this ontology.

Reference Type
Journal Article | Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Authors
Cherry JM
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Gene Ontology Annotations


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Gene/Complex Qualifier Gene Ontology Term Aspect Annotation Extension Evidence Method Source Assigned On Reference

Phenotype Annotations


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Gene Phenotype Experiment Type Mutant Information Strain Background Chemical Details Reference

Disease Annotations


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Gene Disease Ontology Term Qualifier Evidence Method Source Assigned On Reference

Regulation Annotations


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Regulator Target Direction Regulation Of Happens During Method Evidence

Post-translational Modifications


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Site Modification Modifier Reference

Interaction Annotations


Genetic Interactions

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Interactor Interactor Allele Assay Annotation Action Phenotype SGA score P-value Source Reference

Physical Interactions

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Interactor Interactor Assay Annotation Action Modification Source Reference

Functional Complementation Annotations


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Gene Species Gene ID Strain background Direction Details Source Reference