A comparative review of short genetic variant databases across humans and animal species.

Abstract

Understanding genetic variation is necessary to unravel the complexities of evolution and diverse traits across species. Short genetic variants (<50 bp in length) represent key genomic variations that play a crucial role in shaping the genetic landscape of populations. Human short genetic variant databases are often considered the gold standard for variant repositories, and this review compares them with variant databases created for various animal species. This review examines the methodologies, data integration, and various applications that differ or align between human and animal databases. The goal is to identify challenges in leveraging genetic variation across species, recommend strategies for overcoming these challenges, and suggest future directions for research and database development.