Software package for the management of sequencing projects using lacl transgenic animals

The bacterial lacl gene has been used for many years as a mutational target for the study of the mechanisms of mutation. A wealth of information has been collected for many mutagenic treatments and in strains with diverse DNA repair backgrounds. Recently this gene has been used in the construction of a transgenic mouse, named Big Blue®, and a transgenic rat, as well as a rat cell line. The lacl gene in these animals and cells can conveniently be recovered and analyzed in bacteria. This makes it possible to study mutagenic potential of chemical compounds in vivo using a mammal. Tissue, strain, and gender specificity can be addressed. In addition, mutations recovered from tumour tissues or from animals with specific genetic backgrounds can be analyzed conveniently. The mammalian systems can produce large numbers of mutants that require computer assistance to manage the samples and the resulting DNA sequence data. Accordingly, a computer software system was develped. The system maintains an inventory of bacteriophage lambda lacl mutants and allows entry of mutant sequences while performing accuracy checks on the data. The software features several options for displaying lists of mutants. The system can perform several analyses, including mutant class compilations, mutational spectra comparisons, and clonal expansions analysis. An extensive database obtained from the bacterial lacl system is included with the software and can be analyzed along with mutants derived from transgenic animals. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.