WormAtlas

WormBase

If your research involves Caenorhabditis elegans and you've ever dreaded the thought of ploughing through a never-ending pile of papers to understand that unfamiliar anatomical phenotype in your model, then WormAtlas could be the solution to your problems.

The site, which went live this year, aims to make the anatomy of C. elegans simple and accessible. WormAtlas is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health and is in close collaboration with WormBase, the definitive database for genes and proteins in C. elegans.

WormAtlas provides an illustrated handbook of worm anatomy and a description of staining and electron-microscopy methods, but where the site shines is the section entitled 'The slidable worm'. This site contains fine-structure images of cross-sections of the worm, a must for those research groups that do not have access to an electron microscope. This section is not yet complete, but its aim is to have 600–1,200 annonated electron-microscopy images in total.

The most frustrating aspect of what promises to be an invaluable resource is that many aspects are currently incomplete, including the illustrated handbook. Also, the site currently focuses on features of the wild-type adult anatomy, but it will eventually provide data on key mutant phenotypes, and the anatomy of the L1 larva and, where feasible, embryonic development. However, one future advantage of the Atlas will be that it is updateable, with submissions accepted in many formats, such as text and JPEG and TIFF images.