Latest Version of IMG Genome Analysis Tool Released

DOE has released an enhanced version of the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) data management system jointly developed by the Biological Data Management and Technology Center (BDMTC) in CRD and the Joint Genome Institute (JGI). The new version, IMG 1.2, contains 270 additional public genomes and nine (four finished, five draft) new JGI genomes, bringing the total number of genomes in IMG to 618 (318 bacterial, 25 archaeal, 15 eukaryotic, 260 bacterial phage), 40 of which are fin- ished and 80 of which are draft genomes sequenced by DOE’s JGI. IMG 1.2 enables users to add annotations to IMG as well as to save the results of their analysis of organisms and genes. IMG 1.2 also features enhanced compara- tive analysis capabilities. Since its initial release in March 2005, IMG has gained increasing recognition in the scientific community. “IMG is invaluable for comparative genomic analyses,” said Mark A. Schell, professor in the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology at the University of Georgia. “My laboratory uses it all the time and I will use it in the classes I teach this fall.” Developed as a community resource, IMG will integrate JGI’s microbial genome data with publicly available microbial genome data, and thus provide a powerful com- parative context for microbial genome analysis. The BDMTC, headed by Victor Markowitz, was established in January 2004 to serve as a source of expertise in and provide support for data management and bioinfor- matics tool development projects at the Joint Genome Institute (JGI), Life Sciences and Physical Biosciences Divisions at LBNL, Biomedical Centers at UCSF, and other similar organizations in the Bay Area.