Human Protein Reference Database and Human Proteinpedia as discovery tools for systems biology

Although high-throughput technologies used in biology have resulted in the accumulation of vast amounts of data in the literature, it is becoming difficult for individual investigators to directly benefit from this data because they are not easily accessible. Databases have assumed a crucial role in assimilating and storing information that could enable future discoveries. To this end, our group has developed two resources - Human Protein Reference Database (HPRD) and Human Proteinpedia - that provide integrated information pertaining to human proteins. These databases contain information on a number of features of proteins that have been discovered using various experimental methods. Human Proteinpedia was developed as a portal for community participation to annotate and share proteomic data using HPRD as the scaffold. It allows proteomic investigators to even share unpublished data and provides an effective medium for data sharing. As proteomic information reflects a direct view of cellular systems, proteomics is expected to complement other areas of biology such as genomics, transcriptomics, classical genetics, and chemical genetics in understanding the relationships among genome, gene functions, and living systems.