Related Experiment Videos
The MetaFam Server: a comprehensive protein family resource
K A Silverstein1, E Shoop, J E Johnson
1Computational Biology Centers, Academic Health Center, University of Minnesota, Mayo Mail Code 43, 420 Delaware Street, SE Minneapolis, MN 55455-0312, USA.
Nucleic Acids Research
|January 11, 2000
Summary
MetaFam is a new protein family database integrating data from multiple sources to provide the most complete protein family sets. This resource enables users to explore interrelationships and classify unassigned sequences.
Area of Science:
- Bioinformatics
- Computational Biology
- Database Development
Background:
- Protein family databases are crucial for understanding protein function and evolution.
- Existing databases often have fragmented or redundant information.
- A unified resource is needed to consolidate protein family data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop MetaFam, a comprehensive relational database for protein family information.
- To integrate data from diverse primary sequence and secondary protein family databases.
- To provide users with tools for exploring, visualizing, and classifying protein families.
Main Methods:
- Developed a relational database to pool information from multiple protein family and sequence databases.
- Integrated data from disparate sources to create comprehensive protein family sets.
- Implemented a graphical visualization tool (MetaFamView) for exploring database interrelationships.
Main Results:
- MetaFam provides the most complete protein family sets currently available.
- Users can explore interrelationships between databases using MetaFamView.
- The resource facilitates identification of corresponding sequence entries and family members across databases.
Conclusions:
- MetaFam serves as a valuable, web-accessible resource for protein family information.
- The integrated approach offers a more complete and unified view of protein families.
- MetaFam aids in sequence classification and understanding protein relationships.