About
The Human Gene module of AutDB serves as a comprehensive, up-to-date reference for all known human genes associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The first Human Gene module was released in January of 2007 and first appeared in publication in 2009 (Nucleic Acids Research, 37, D832.D836). The Human Gene module is the central component of AutDB to which all other modules (Animal Model, Protein Interaction (PIN), Gene Scoring, Copy Number Variant (CNV)) are integrated seamlessly via a single search engine. There are currently > 950 genes that have potential links to ASD.
Our expert researchers continuously update the Human Gene module with manual annotations as new scientific literature is published. It was created to bridge the gap between the vast amount of information embedded in the scientific literature and consolidated knowledge representation of ASD for molecular analysis. The dynamic nature of this database provides a window into the current state of research to aid in the early diagnostics and therapeutics for individuals with autism.
AutDB database model allows diverse information on both monogenic and small risk-conferring candidates associated with ASD to be collected, annotated and organized to optimize its use by the research community. The major focus of the Human Gene module is to provide an up-to-date, manually curated reference set of ASD-linked genes for the research community for deeper insight into the etiology and biology of ASD.
Since its first release, AutDB has been extensively used by the research community as indicated by the rapid growth of its citations over the past years. Importantly, the curated datasets of AutDB are used in analysis as "Reference" datasets for assessment of ASD risk genes and defining biological underpinning of ASD. See Google Scholar.