Bioinformatics is of paramount importance for protein analysis in proteomic and transcriptomic studies. Proteomics and transcriptomics generate huge amounts of data that must be interpreted to answer biological questions. Bioinformatics is used at two steps of proteomic studies: (i) identification of proteins by peptide mass mapping or peptide sequencing and, (ii) analysis of protein sequences to predict their sub-cellular localization, their function and eventually sites of post-translational modifications. It is also used to sort genes identified by transcriptomic studies in functional classes. In addition, bioinformatics can provide predictions of co-expression networks thus allowing to visualize biological networks.
To facilitate interpretation of proteomic and transcriptomic data, ProtAnnDB (Protein Annotation DataBase) collects predictions of sub-cellular localization and of functional domains made by available software and provides scores to assess the quality of these predictions. It also provides Aranet predictions, a browser designed to look for co-expression networks.
In its fifth version, ProtAnnDB is devoted to protein sequences of Arabidopsis thaliana, Linum usitatissimum, Oryza sativa, Sorghum bicolor and Brachypodium distachyon. It is regularly completed with sequences from other plants.
The authors wish to thank the Plate-forme de Bioinformatique GenoToul Midi-Pyrénées in Toulouse (France) for providing calculation facilities for the rice sequences (bioinfo.genotoul.fr).
Contact: Elisabeth JAMET (jamet@lrsv.ups-tlse.fr)
Webmaster: Hélène San Clemente (sancle@lrsv.ups-tlse.fr)
Last update: March 18th 2013
