SWISS-PROT: connecting biomolecular knowledge via a protein database

Area of Science:

• Bioinformatics
• Computational Biology
• Genomics
• Proteomics

Background:

• The rapid expansion of biological data has outpaced traditional publication methods, making databases crucial for research.
• Biological databases are essential tools for scientists, storing diverse information like nucleic acid sequences, protein sequences, and tertiary structures.
• Integrating these specialized databases is vital due to the interconnected nature of biological information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the challenges and strategies for managing the explosive growth of biological data.
• To emphasize the importance of integrating diverse biomolecular databases for a comprehensive understanding of biological complexity.
• To showcase efforts in connecting biological information, using the SWISS-PROT protein database as a case study.

Main Methods:

• Classification of biological databases based on the type of information stored (sequence-related and specialized collections).
• Analysis of the interconnectedness of different biomolecular databases.
• Demonstration of data integration strategies through the SWISS-PROT database.

Main Results:

• Biological databases have become indispensable resources for biological sciences over the past two decades.
• Effective integration of sequence-related databases (nucleic acid, protein, structure) and specialized collections is achievable.
• The SWISS-PROT database serves as an example of successful integration of biological information.

Conclusions:

• The integration of biomolecular databases is essential for researchers to navigate and understand complex biological systems.
• Continued development of data storage and integration methods is critical to keep pace with biological data generation.
• Efforts like those in SWISS-PROT demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of connecting disparate biological information sources.