Tetrahymena is a genus of free-living ciliated protozoans that is widely distributed in freshwater environments around the world. Tetrahymena thermophila, best studied species in the genus, is well-established as a model eukaryote, elaborating typical eukaryotic components (eg, microtubules, membrane systems, chromatin) into a highly organized cell whose structural and functional complexity is comparable to, or exceeds that, of human and other metazoan cells. Importantly, Tetrahymena’s special elaborations of certain basic eukaryotic mechanisms have facilitated discoveries opening major new fields of fundamental research over the last five decades, including the discovery of dynein, the first microtubule motor, elucidation of the fundamental structure of telomeres, the discovery of catalytic RNA, the discovery and characterization of telomerase, the first demonstration that a transcription factor (GCN5p) acts by catalyzing a histone post-translational modification and the co-discovery that an RNAi-like process acts to target changes in chromatin function.

TetraFGD is a web-accessible functional genomics database of Tetrahymena thermophila. Currently, TetraFGD provides RNA-seq, MICROARRAY, GENE NETWORK and PHOSPHOPROTEOME data for T. thermophila using Gene ID or Gene description searches or Blast Sequences. TetraFGD will be extended to develop/collect other functional genomics data (e.g. proteome) and is intended to be a resource for all members of the scientific research community interested in Tetrahymena. As we develop TetraFGD, we would appreciate input from the community so that we can tailor it to meet your needs. Please feel free to send comments, suggestions, or questions to TetraFGD@ihb.ac.cn