Navigating the Website

Clicking on the photo of the animal of interest or a phylogenetically close relative takes the user to a list of topics for that species. From the menu that appears, click on the topic of interest which will then open a file on the topic. At present, three topics are provided: Nomenclature, Gene Maps and Reagents. The majority of information is found under Nomenclature and this topic includes three major subtopics with more to be added when data on TCR genes are entered. The major subtopics under Nomenclature are: Isotypes and allotypes, Heavy chain variable region genes and Light chain variable region genes. The CIgW recognizes both the familiar (IgM, IgG, VH etc) nomenclature and the nomenclature used by the IMGT. Clicking on a particular GenBank accession number in a nomenclature display will connect you directly to GenBank and allow you to view the sequence and the contributing source. For some species a subtopic for Fc Receptors is also included. Under the topic of “Reagents” are listings of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and links to published articles or databases for PCR reagents.

Clicking on " CIgW Committee" lists shows the current CIgW Committee membership and their e-ail addresses. Also under this selection are reports of recent committee meetings, the official by-laws and other related information such as how to volunteer for committee service or to make a contribution to the Website. Clicking on "News " can access information considered to be of special interest such as the emergence of certain animal models, the availability and tests results for certain reagents, new technologies, key publications and summaries of important meetings including other workshop proceedings. Clicking on "Relevant Meetings" provides the dates and locations of up-coming meetings in which information relevant to the goals and purpose of the CIgW will be presented. Links to the specific Websites for these meetings are also provided. Clicking on "Links" provides connections to various databases, genome projects, other workshops and participating societies.