ALSOD: The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Online Database

More than 100 point mutations spanning the 153 amino acid SOD1 sequence have been identified in individuals with ALS. In 1999 the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Database (ALSOD) was generated to store these mutations along with ALS patient information to facilitate the identification of a correlation between the SOD1 genotype with the ALS phenotype. Here we report our ongoing development and redesign of the ALSOD database and its automated procedures. The significant new features have improved ALSOD, helping link the mutations of the SOD1 gene to the hypothetical three-dimensional protein structural rearrangement, and the resulting ALS phenotype. Additionally, ALSOD now provides a more comprehensive knowledge base for ALS, detailing genetic, proteomic, and bioinformatics information associated with the disease. ALSOD can be accessed at http://alsod.iop.kcl.ac.uk/als/.