CANTATAdb – a Collection of Plant Long Non-coding RNAs

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent a class of potent regulators of gene expression that are found in a wide array of eukaryotes, however, our knowledge about these molecules in plants is still very limited. In particular, a number of model plant species still lack comprehensive datasets of lncRNAs and their annotations and very little is known about their biological roles. To meet these short-comings, researchers at the Adam Mickiewicz University created an online database of lncRNAs in ten model plant species. The lncRNAs were identified computationally using dozens of publicly available RNA-Seq libraries. Expression values, coding potential, sequence alignments as well as other types of data provide annotation for the identified lncRNAs. In order to better characterize them, the researchers investigated their potential roles in splicing modulation and deregulation of miRNA functions. The data are freely available for searching, browsing and downloading from an online database called CANTATAdb.

A view of the search page, with search options, search summary and search results components marked.

Availability – CANTATAdb is located at: http://cantata.amu.edu.pl, http://yeti.amu.edu.pl/CANTATA/

• Szcześniak MW, Rosikiewicz W, Makałowska I. (2015) CANTATAdb: a Collection of Plant Long Non-coding RNAs. Plant Cell Physiol [Epub ahead of print]. [article]