The InterPro protein families database: the classification resource after 15 years

Area of Science:

• Bioinformatics
• Computational Biology
• Proteomics

Background:

• The InterPro database is a vital resource for protein sequence classification and domain prediction.
• It integrates diverse protein family signatures from multiple databases, leveraging their unique strengths.
• InterPro has been operational for 15 years, continuously evolving to meet research needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on the current status and recent developments of the InterPro database.
• To highlight new features such as the domain architecture search tool and Gene Ontology (GO) term mapping.
• To discuss the challenges posed by the rapid increase in biological sequence data.

Main Methods:

• Integration of member database signatures into a unified InterPro resource.
• Development of predictive models (signatures) for protein family and domain classification.
• Mapping of Gene Ontology terms to InterPro entries for enhanced annotation.

Main Results:

• InterPro version 48.0 includes 36,766 member database signatures within 26,238 InterPro entries.
• This represents a significant increase of 3993 entries and 5081 signatures since 2012.
• New features like the domain architecture search tool and GO mapping have been implemented.

Conclusions:

• InterPro remains a powerful and evolving resource for protein classification and domain analysis.
• Ongoing development addresses the challenges of massive sequence data growth.
• The database continues to enhance its utility through integration and new functional tools.