Bacillus thuringiensis is a bacteria that produces pesticidal proteins essential for biological pest control. The development of Bt-based products relies on the discovery of new strains, toxins, and their respective targets. That's why we have developed a web platform to assist in data management and analysis for Bt strain and pesticidal protein prospecting programs.

The platform, called BtBank, was developed in Python, with all the necessary libraries specified in the requirements, and uses the PostgreSQL database management system for data storage. All components were designed to operate within Docker containers, ensuring consistent environments for development and production.

BtBank is a centralized platform that integrates various stages of the prospecting process, from sample collection to toxin identification. It offers several functionalities, including user management with role-based access control, data recording for samples, isolates, protein profiles, bioassays, sequencing data, toxins, and targets. Additionally, it has a logging system to track user actions, ensuring data integrity and accountability.

Future developments aim to enhance the platform by implementing a knowledge base process, automated pipelines, and an interactive map of sample collection regions. In summary, BtBank is a valuable tool for researchers in the prospecting of Bacillus thuringiensis pesticidal proteins.

Authors

• Lorrana Verdi Flores
• Luiz Victor Soriano da Conceição
• Giselly Batista Alves
• Renato Ramos da Silva
• Joaquim Quinteiro Uchôa
• Luciano Vilela Paiva

Funders

• Universidade Federal de Lavras
• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais

License

Currently, the source code of the BtBank software is in the process of being registered with the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA). Due to this process, the source code is not publicly available at the moment.

As soon as the registration process is completed and the intellectual property rights are properly protected, we plan to make the source code available under an open-source license. This will allow other developers to contribute to the project and use the software according to the terms of the license.

Thank you for your understanding and patience during this process. If you have any questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Contact

Until we establish an official email address, please feel free to contact us at btbank.database@gmail.com.