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Information about genetic variation has been collected for some twenty years into registries, known as locus specific databases (LSDBs), which nowadays often contain information in addition to the actual genetic variation. Several issues have to be taken into account when considering establishing and maintaining LSDBs and these have been discussed previously in a number of articles describing guidelines and recommendations. This information is widely scattered and, for a newcomer, it would be difficult to obtain the latest information and guidance.

DNA sequence variation is the underlying basis of common human traits and rarer single-gene disorders. Understanding the variome, the variants in an individual's genome, is essential to enable the ultimate goals of personalized medicine. This critical research field has grown dramatically in recent years, mostly due to the spread and development of genotyping technologies.

Locus-Specific DataBases (LSDBs) store information on gene sequence variation associated with human phenotypes and are frequently used as a reference by researchers and clinicians. We developed the Leiden Open-source Variation Database (LOVD) as a platform-independent web-based LSDB-in-a-Box package. LOVD was designed to be easy to set up and maintain and follows the Human Genome Variation Society (HGVS) recommendations. Here we describe LOVD v.2.0, which adds enhanced flexibility and functionality and has the capacity to store sequence variants in multiple genes per patient.

Deep sequencing has shown that over 90% of human genes undergo alternative splicing. The splicing process requires exon-intron boundary recognition. SNPs located in the boundaries (splice sites) influence exon configuration. Also, splice site SNPs (ssSNPs) alter translation efficiency of the mRNA and lead to important changes in disease susceptibility. We developed the ssSNPTarget database to provide ssSNPs on human and mouse genes.