Bacterial carbohydrate structure database 3: principles and realization.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Glycobiology
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Bacterial carbohydrates play crucial roles in various biological processes.
• Access to curated structural and functional data is essential for advancing research in bacterial glycobiology.
• Existing databases may lack comprehensive coverage or consistent annotation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on version 3 of the Bacterial Carbohydrate Structure Database (BCSDB).
• To detail the principles and glycan description language underpinning the BCSDB.
• To provide an open-access resource for bacterial carbohydrate information.

Main Methods:

• Data collection from primary publications on bacterial carbohydrate structures.
• Integration of biological properties, bibliographic, and taxonomic annotations.
• Inclusion of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectral data.

Main Results:

• Achieved almost complete coverage of bacterial carbohydrate structures.
• Ensured outstanding data consistency through rigorous curation.
• BCSDB version 3 provides a robust and reliable data resource.

Conclusions:

• The BCSDB is a valuable open-access resource for researchers.
• Version 3 represents a significant advancement in data completeness and consistency.
• The glycan description language facilitates standardized data representation.