Construction of HSC-2DPAGE: a two-dimensional gel electrophoresis database of heart proteins

The dissemination of information relating to the characterisation of proteins from two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) gel databases is essential for their effective utilisation in the study of protein expression in cell biology. Since the inception of the World Wide Web and the pioneering development of SWISS-2DPAGE as a tool for retrieving information on proteins separated by 2-DE, the Internet has become the method of choice for disseminating and accessing information on 2-DE protein databases. At Harefield we have established HSC-2DPAGE which is an advanced interface for accessing protein database relating to heart disease. The Web site currently includes databases of proteins from human, dog and rat ventricular tissue and a human endothelial cell line. The databases are searchable individually or as a whole by remote keyword searches. Each database is represented by both synthetic (computer generated) and real (scanned gel) clickable images upon which characterised protein spots are highlighted by hyperlinked symbols. The database conforms to all the rules proposed for federated 2-DE protein databases and individual protein entries are linked to other protein databases such as SWISS-PROT by active cross-references. This paper describes the construction of HSC-2DPAGE, its maintenance, and access via the Internet.