PhosphaBase: an ontology-driven database resource for protein phosphatases

PhosphaBase is an ontology-driven database resource containing information on the protein phosphatase family. It is the first public resource dedicated to protein phosphatases, which are enzymes that perform dephosphorylation reactions. In conjunction with the phosphorylation action of protein kinases, phosphatases are involved in important control and communication mechanisms in the cell. They have also been implicated in many human diseases, including diabetes and obesity, cancers, and neurodegenerative conditions. PhosphaBase aims to centralize the growing base of knowledge in the phosphatase research domain. The resource is built around a formal, domain-specific DAML+OIL ontology, and the data are collected from heterogeneous biological sources using Gene Ontology terms as a means of data extraction. The overall ontology-driven architecture provides a robust structure with distinct advantages for sustainability and provides the potential for the development of diagnostic tools, as well as a data repository.