DisProt in 2026: enhancing intrinsically disordered proteins accessibility, deposition, and annotation

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Bioinformatics
• Structural Biology

Background:

• Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and regions (IDRs) lack stable 3D structures, playing crucial roles in cellular functions.
• Databases like DisProt are essential for curating and disseminating experimental evidence on IDPs and IDRs.
• The growing body of research on IDPs necessitates continuous updates and improvements in data management and accessibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the latest release of the DisProt database, highlighting its growth and new features.
• To improve the integration and accessibility of experimental data on intrinsically disordered proteins and regions.
• To enhance the utility of DisProt for researchers through new functionalities and data expansion.

Main Methods:

• Systematic adoption of Minimum Information About Disorder Experiments (MIADE) guidelines for detailed annotation.
• Expansion of DisProt data through BLAST-based homology propagation in MobiDB.
• Integration of computational predictions as valid evidence alongside experimental data.
• Updates and restructuring of the Intrinsically Disordered Protein (IDP) Ontology.

Main Results:

• DisProt now contains 3201 IDPs and 13,347 pieces of evidence, with over 1500 new structural state and 1300 new function annotations.
• MIADE adoption has more than doubled annotations with experimental details, improving interpretability.
• Disorder regions and interacting peptides have been extended to hundreds of thousands of proteins via homology propagation.
• The database now integrates computational predictions and features an updated IDP Ontology for enhanced accuracy and interoperability.

Conclusions:

• The enhanced DisProt database offers a more comprehensive and accessible resource for studying intrinsically disordered proteins.
• New features, including integrated computational predictions and an updated ontology, improve data accuracy and semantic clarity.
• DisProt's evolution into a hybrid knowledgebase and deposition system, alongside community engagement tools, supports broader research participation.