The Protein Information Resource (PIR) and the PIR-International Protein Sequence Database

D G George1, R J Dodson, J S Garavelli

  • 1National Biomedical Research Foundation (NBRF), Georgetown University Medical Center, 3900 Reservoir Road, NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA. pirmail@nbrf.georgetown.edu

Nucleic Acids Research
|January 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary

The Protein Information Resource (PIR) provides a vital, quality-controlled protein sequence database for computational biology and genomics research. This international collaboration ensures broad accessibility and integration with other major biological databases.

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Protein Families02:47

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Protein families are groups of homologous proteins; that is, they have similarities in amino acid sequences and three-dimensional structures. Protein families usually occur because of gene duplication, where an additional copy of a gene is inserted into the genome of an organism.   Mutations that change the amino acids but still allow the protein to be properly synthesized, will lead to new protein family members.   If these new proteins contain similar amino acids in key locations, protein...
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Many proteins form complexes to carry out their functions, making protein-protein interactions (PPIs) essential for an organism's survival. Most PPIs are stabilized by numerous weak noncovalent chemical forces. The physical shape of the interfaces determines the way two proteins interact. Many globular proteins have closely-matching shapes on their surfaces, which form a large number of weak bonds. Additionally, many PPIs occur between two helices or between a surface cleft and a polypeptide...