The Human Proteoform Atlas: a FAIR community resource for experimentally derived proteoforms

Area of Science:

• Proteomics
• Molecular Biology
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Proteins exist in various forms called proteoforms, arising from genetic and post-translational variations.
• Understanding proteoforms is crucial for comprehending cellular function and disease mechanisms.
• Existing resources for proteoform data are fragmented, hindering comprehensive analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a centralized, web-based repository for experimentally verified human proteoforms.
• To implement a FAIR data system for persistent identification and tracking of proteoforms.
• To facilitate the organization and classification of proteoforms using open ontologies.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Human Proteoform Atlas (HPfA) website.
• Application of FAIR data principles for assigning unique identifiers to proteoforms.
• Organization of proteoform data around open ontologies for flexible classification.
• Creation of a public registry for experimentally verified proteoforms.

Main Results:

• The HPfA provides a comprehensive, online collection of human proteoforms.
• Persistent identifiers enable redundancy checking and data tracking across studies.
• The atlas supports flexible classification and organization of proteoform information.
• A public registry facilitates community contributions and data sharing.

Conclusions:

• The HPfA serves as a foundational resource for the proteoform biology community.
• Standardized data organization and identification will accelerate proteoform research.
• Future iterations will enhance the functional annotation of proteoforms, PTMs, and complexes.