title: From protein sequences to 3D-structures and beyond: the example of the UniProt knowledgebase.
abstract: With the dramatic increase in the volume of experimental results in every domain of life sciences, assembling pertinent data and combining information from different fields has become a challenge. Information is dispersed over numerous specialized databases and is presented in many different formats. Rapid access to experiment-based information about well-characterized proteins helps predict the function of uncharacterized proteins identified by large-scale sequencing. In this context, universal knowledgebases play essential roles in providing access to data from complementary types of experiments and serving as hubs with cross-references to many specialized databases. This review outlines how the value of experimental data is optimized by combining high-quality protein sequences with complementary experimental results, including information derived from protein 3D-structures, using as an example the UniProt knowledgebase (UniProtKB) and the tools and links provided on its website ( http://www.uniprot.org/ ). It also evokes precautions that are necessary for successful predictions and extrapolations.
authors.affiliation: Swiss-Prot Group, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1 rue Michel Servet, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland. Ursula.Hinz@isb-sib.ch
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hinz
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D030562:Databases, Protein; D051188:Knowledge Bases; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D020539:Sequence Analysis, Protein
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins