The Arabidopsis community has recently acquired a comprehensive genomic Web-based resource called the Genomic Arabidopsis Resource Network (GARNet). The GARNet Web site can be best described as a portal to access and consolidate various distributed resources that are being created as a result of the GARNet initiative.

The site was established as part of the BBSRC Investigating Gene Function initiative and aims to create widely accessible functional genomics facilities for the Arabidopsis community. GARNet promises various resources and services, including transcriptome analysis, metabolite profiling, proteome analysis, bioinformatics, and forward and reverse genetics. Most of these facilities are already available to individual researchers and can be applied for directly from the GARNet home page; a transcriptome analysis resource is planned for early next year. These services are provided and maintained by GARNet service providers — individual research groups located in the United Kingdom.

Site visitors will not actually find any data to browse at GARNet itself because data generated from GARNet resources are distributed through the Nottingham Arabidopsis Stock Centre and John Innes Centre databases.

The progress of the project will be monitored by the Garnet Steering Committee, and reviewed at annual open meetings (the next one is on September 27–28, 2001). The Committee plans more regular updates on GARNet developments by producing a news bulletin, which will be distributed to ARAB-UK network subscribers (email: arabuk_request@BBSRC.ac.uk). At present, updates on resource availability can be obtained from GARNish — the GARNet Gazette, which is accessible from the GARNet home page.