Last August, we shared with you some of the great new online resources being developed by the NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Program. Now, the latest issue of Epigenomics, has published an update of all the latest editions, tweaks and refinements they’ve made over the last year. The NIH Roadmap Reference Epigenome Mapping Consortium has created a resource for the research community of genome-wide epigenetic maps in all sorts of human primary cells and tissues. Vast amounts of data are readily available, with a host of viewing and analysis options.
Some of the websites and resources available include:
- Reference Epigenome Mapping Consortium homepage
- National Center for Biotechnology Information
- Human Epigenome Atlas
- UCSC Track Hub
- The Human Epigenome Browser
What the Roadmap Epigenomics team has done so far is only the first step towards their goal of mapping the epigenomes of all the human cell types. In the future, they aim to fill out their database with analyses on more unique, and highly purified cell types as new technologies emerge. The data collected by the consortium will become a baseline reference in studies investigating epigenetic changes in complex disease states. Epigenomic data is already proven valuable by uncovering functional significance in disease relevant genetic variants in non-coding regions.
With these epigenomic profiles in place future investigators will be better equipped to tackle epigenetic mysteries and understand how factors like diet or environmental agents interact with epigenetic programming or cause disease.
Get on the right track to epigenome data analysis at Epigenomics, June 2012.