About

SuperCann and CannabisGDB

The SuperCann is a high-quality community resource for Cannabis Sativa L. (cannabis). CannabisGDB (https://gdb.supercann.net) is the first database launched by SuperCann, which integrates data source and an easy accession of cannabis large scale genomic sequencing, assembly, predicted genes and functional annotation. Also, provide several transcriptomic and metabolomic studies.

Cannabis Sativa L. (cannabis)

Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. Three subspecies may be recognized: Cannabis sativa ssp. sativa, Cannabis sativa ssp. indica, and Cannabis sativa ssp. ruderalis.

Cannabis sativa ssp. sativa tends to grow tall, and the leaves tend to be narrow. Sativas grow in sunnier climates, usually around the equator where there are 12 hours of sunlight per day, and the plant can grow rather freely. When grown in the right environment, sativas can produce a very high yield. Grown outside of its environment, sativas can be very finicky to grow and tends not to produce high yields. The flowering period tends to be between 12 – 16 weeks. The calyx: leaf ratio also tends to be higher in sativas, making them difficult to trim.

Cannabis sativa ssp. indica comes from the regions of India (the “Kush Mountains”), Pakistan, and Afghanistan. They tend to grow in mountainous regions at high altitude, meaning that they can usually handle colder climates. Indicas also tend to grow short and stocky – about 3 feet or under – and are quite sturdy as well to handle strong winds. The leaves are also broader. Some people put Cannabis afghanica into a distinct category of its own, but Afghan strains are definitely indicas and don’t necessarily have any major differences with other indicas. Flowering time for indicas are usually around 7 – 10 weeks, with some flowering in as little as 6 weeks.

Cannabis sativa ssp. ruderalis is an interesting subspecies of cannabis. Some people suspect that it is a subtype of C. sativa, but some have postulated that it shares traits with both indica and sativa and ought to be considered as a mixture between the two. C. ruderalis is thought to originate from the south/central Asia and then moved to Russia and Eastern Europe.

Figure1. Classification of cannabis

(source: https://leafwell.co/blog/cannabis-sativa-indica-and-ruderalis/)

Figure2. The home page of CannabisGDB

Modules

• Varieties module

Includes the information of collection of 8 cannabis varieties from published literatures. Users can browse the sequenced varieties with specific characteristics in terms of phenotype and the details of genome assembly, they are also allowed to jump to the genome browser for more information.

• Gene loci module

Users can search the protein-coding genes in each genome provided with detailed information, such as the gene ID, genomic position, gene structure, gene function annotation, gene orthogroups, gene expression and gene sequences according to chromosome positions or scaffolds.

• Metabolites module

Provide a user-friendly interface for presenting metabolite profiles of 210 cannabis varieties analyzed in all the available literature.

• Proteins module

Present identified protein profiles of various cannabis tissues in all the available literature.

Navigation bar

• Home

The home page of CannabisGDB.

• Search

Search engine to provide content retrieval.

• Genome browser

Supports the exploration and analysis of 8 cannabis genome assemblies.

• Tools

Provides 5 online tools including BLAST, heatmap, primer design, syntenic display and enrichment analysis which are useful for comparative genomics studies in cannabis.

• Download

Provides all the data used in CannabisGDB.

• Help

Introduces the background, materials and methods, user guide for each module, search function, genome browser and tools provided by CannabisGDB.