Strepto-DB, a database for comparative genomics of group A (GAS) and B (GBS) streptococci, implemented with the novel database platform ‘Open Genome Resource’ (OGeR)

Streptococci are the causative agent of many human infectious diseases including bacterial pneumonia and meningitis. Here, we present Strepto-DB, a database for the comparative genome analysis of group A (GAS) and group B (GBS) streptococci. The known genomes of various GAS and GBS contain a large fraction of distributed genes that were found absent in other strains or serotypes of the same species. Strepto-DB identifies the homologous proteins deduced from the genomes of interest. It allows for the elucidation of the GAS and GBS core- and pan-genomes via genome-wide comparisons. Moreover, an intergenic region analysis tool provides alignments and predictions for transcription factor binding sites in the non-coding sequences. An interactive genome browser visualizes functional annotations. Strepto-DB (http://oger.tu-bs.de/strepto_db) was created by the use of OGeR, the Open Genome Resource for comparative analysis of prokaryotic genomes. OGeR is a newly developed open source database and tool platform for the web-based storage, distribution, visualization and comparison of prokaryotic genome data. The system automatically creates the dedicated relational database and web interface and imports an arbitrary number of genomes derived from standardized genome files. OGeR can be downloaded at http://oger.tu-bs.de.