Transterm: a database of mRNAs and translational control elements

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Bioinformatics
• Genetics

Background:

• Protein synthesis is regulated by translational control mechanisms within messenger RNA (mRNA).
• Understanding these mechanisms requires comprehensive data on regulatory elements and mRNA structures.
• Existing resources may lack integrated, species-specific information on translational control elements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce Transterm, a curated database designed to facilitate the study of translation and translational control of protein synthesis.
• To provide a centralized resource for biologically relevant mRNA regions and translational control elements.
• To enable detection of global patterns affecting translation in specific species.

Main Methods:

• Compilation of curated translational elements and mRNA regions from GenBank.
• Organization of data on a taxonomic basis, providing species-specific files and summaries.
• Development of a web browser interface for database access and analysis.
• Implementation of search functionalities for matching database elements with user sequences or specific mRNA regions.

Main Results:

• Transterm contains a curated collection of mRNA elements that control translation.
• The database includes biologically relevant mRNA regions extracted from GenBank.
• Global patterns, such as codon usage bias (initiation and termination codons), can be detected.
• Users can search for specific elements within their sequences or the database, including coding regions and untranslated regions (3'-UTRs).

Conclusions:

• Transterm serves as a valuable resource for researchers investigating translational control.
• The database facilitates the identification of species-specific translational patterns.
• Accessible via a web interface, Transterm supports diverse research queries related to mRNA translation.