2011 Publication

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: The Molecular Interaction Map (MIM) notation offers a standard set of symbols and rules on their usage for the depiction of cellular signaling network diagrams. Such diagrams are essential for disseminating biological information in a concise manner. A lack of software tools for the notation restricts wider usage of the notation. Development of software is facilitated by a more detailed specification regarding software requirements than has previously existed for the MIM notation.

RESULTS: A formal implementation of the MIM notation was developed based on a core set of previously defined glyphs. This implementation provides a detailed specification of the properties of individual elements of the MIM notation. Building upon this specification, a machine-readable format is provided as a standardized mechanism for the storage and exchange of MIM diagrams. This new format is accompanied by a Java-based application programming interface for use by software developers to integrate MIM support into software projects. A validation mechanism is also provided to determine whether MIM datasets are in accordance with syntax rules provided by the new specification.

CONCLUSIONS: The work presented here provides key foundational components for software developers wishing to support the MIM notation. These components will help speed up the development of MIM software support and allow for interoperable tools supporting the notation. These tools will also aid in the translation of data stored in MIM diagrams to other standardized formats. Additionally, several projects utilizing this implementation of the notation are outlined. The MIM specification is available as an additional file to this publication. Source code, libraries, documentation, and examples are available at http://discover.nci.nih.gov/mim.