Connecting processes to anatomy
Status: intermediate draft
Authors and contributors:
- Chris Mungall (author)
Date: 2012
Document Type: ontology_usage_article
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Uberon covers anatomical structures such as glands, bones, blood vessels. The Gene Ontology covers molecular and biological processes, as well as cellular component. These processes include for example lung development, respiration, secretion, angiogenesis.
Processes are disjoint with anatomic structures, yet they are clearly related. This article covers how these are related
An inter-ontology axiom connects two classes from different ontologies. An axiom must belong to an ontology, the 'owner' of an axiom is determined by which class the axiom is about.
An axiom such as 'lungs have a function in respiration' are about lungs - these axioms are found in Uberon. Conversely, an axiom such as 'lung development results in the development of a lung' is about the process, so this axiom belongs to the GO.
Some axioms such as 'anatomical projections (sometimes known as processes) are not the same thing as biological processes' are symmetric, and belong to neither
These belong to the GO, but are currently housed in an external bridging ontology:
This ontology contains only bridging axioms. A separate ontology imports the necessary ontologies
These belong to Uberon. They are only available in some versions of Uberon
Uberon is a multi-species anatomy ontology and knowledge base, find out more on the home page