IsoProDB: an integrated map of human protein isoforms for accelerated research

Area of Science:

• Genomics and Proteomics
• Molecular Biology
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Protein isoforms, derived from the same gene, exhibit diverse functions impacting physiology and disease.
• Existing resources for comprehensive protein isoform characterization are limited.
• Understanding isoform-specific features is crucial for deciphering biological complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop IsoProDB, an integrated database for comprehensive analysis of human protein isoforms.
• To enable cross-sequence visualization and comparative analysis of protein isoforms.
• To provide insights into isoform-specific features, including post-translational modifications and disease relevance.

Main Methods:

• Integrated protein isoform data from RefSeq and UniProtKB.
• Aligned protein sequences and mapped features like domain architecture, disordered regions, variants, and post-translational modifications (PTMs).
• Developed gene-wise comparative analysis tools with effective visualizations for 110,149 human protein isoforms.

Main Results:

• IsoProDB provides a unified platform for analyzing 110,149 protein isoforms across 20,536 protein-coding genes.
• Integrated features include domain architecture, disordered regions, variants, transmembrane topology, and 52 PTM types.
• Enabled insights into conserved/nonconserved PTM sites, isoform-specific localization, variant impact, and disease associations.

Conclusions:

• IsoProDB serves as a valuable resource for exploring protein isoform diversity and function.
• Facilitates research into the roles of protein isoforms in health and disease.
• Supports the identification of isoforms as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets.