The SynGO consortium, consisting of >20 expert labs worldwide and coordinated by CNCR, brings together scientific knowledge about synapses & provides online analysis tools. Their new release contains >1600 annotated synaptic genes.
Synapses are specialized structures in the brain, connecting neurons with each other and allowing them to exchange signals rapidly. Several diseases such as autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders can be linked to changes in synapses at the protein level, that arise during development. By bringing scientific information together in a systematic knowledgebase, SynGO allows researchers around the world to learn more about underlying disease mechanisms.
The user-friendly website syngoportal.org enables advanced analyses and intuitive visualization tools that contribute to the popularity of the platform. Every month the website has thousands of pageviews, resulting in analyses and graphics that are used in high-impact publications.
SynGO relies on an international consortium of renowned synaptic experts who select direct high-quality evidence which can always be traced to the source publications. The entries are subjected to an extensive quality-control process, ensuring a dataset unique in its high standard of reliability. With the addition of more than 350 unique genes, the increased coverage allows even more reliable and valid analyses.
Currently the consortium is working on phase 2 of the project, annotating direct interactions between synaptic proteins, which is scheduled for release in 2024. In the long term the ambition is to also describe causal relationships of biological functions and systems in the synapse.