The WebComparator is a web-based graphical interface that permits comparison of expression profiles of homologous genes across a wheat¹ and barley² tissue series. Included tissues are:  root tissue at two different developmental stages, leaf, crown, caryopsis, anther, pistil, inflorescence, bracts, mesocotyl, endosperm, embryo and coleoptile.

Usage:

1. Select a species: wheat or barley
2. Select 'probeset name' or 'function' to seach by
3. Type in term (complete or partial) and press Submit button
4. Choose a Probeset from the list of matches
5. You can also upload .txt file with a list of probesets (one per line)

After submission you will be provided with:

• The homologous cluster relevant to your probeset
• A comparison of expression profiles on an interactive chart
• Annotation
• Comments/warnings pertaining to sequence quality

To get a better appreciation of the meaning of the results, please see the online Tutorial. To offer feedback and report bugs, contact Elena Kalashyan, Andreas Schreiber, Ute Baumann. To start the WebComparator click this link.

References:

1. A. W. Schreiber, T. Sutton, R. A. Caldo, E. Kalashyan, B. Lovell, G. Mayo, G. Muehlbauer, A. Druka, R. Waugh, R. Wise, P. Langridge, U. Baumann (2009) Comparative transcriptomics in the Triticeae. BMC Genomics, 10 : 285
2. A. Druka , G. Muehlbauer , I. Druka , R. Caldo , U. Baumann , N. Rostoks , A. Schreiber , R. Wise , T. Close , A. Kleinhofs, A. Graner, A. Schulman, P. Langridge, K. Sato, P. Hayes, J. McNicol, D. Marshall, R. Waugh (2006) An atlas of gene expression from seed to seed through barley development. Funct. Int. Genomics, 6 : 202-211