tGRAP, the G-protein coupled receptors mutant database

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Genomics and Proteomics
• Pharmacology

Background:

• G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are crucial membrane proteins involved in numerous physiological processes.
• Understanding the functional impact of mutations in GPCRs is essential for drug discovery and disease research.
• Existing databases may lack comprehensive, manually curated data on GPCR mutants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the tGRAP mutant database, a comprehensive resource for G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) mutation data.
• To provide researchers with efficient tools for accessing and analyzing GPCR mutant information.
• To facilitate comparative analysis of mutagenesis data across different GPCR families.

Main Methods:

• Manual extraction and curation of GPCR mutant data from scientific literature.
• Development of a searchable database (tGRAP) with a user-friendly query form.
• Implementation of a sequence alignment tool for accessing and comparing mutation data.

Main Results:

• The tGRAP database (release 10, April 2001) contains approximately 10,500 mutants from nearly 1,400 research papers.
• Data covers five major GPCR families: Family A (rhodopsin-like), Family B (secretin-like), Family C (metabotropic glutamate-like), Family D (pheromone), and Family E (cAMP receptors).
• New sequence alignment tool enables customized views and facilitates cross-receptor comparisons.

Conclusions:

• The tGRAP database serves as a valuable, curated resource for GPCR mutant research.
• Enhanced accessibility through query forms and sequence alignments improves data utility.
• The database supports comparative mutagenesis studies, advancing the understanding of GPCR function.