title: Development of the ECODAB into a relational database for Escherichia coli O-antigens and other bacterial polysaccharides.
abstract: Escherichia coli O-antigen database (ECODAB) is a web-based application to support the collection of E. coli O-antigen structures, polymerase and flippase amino acid sequences, NMR chemical shift data of O-antigens as well as information on glycosyltransferases (GTs) involved in the assembly of O-antigen polysaccharides. The database content has been compiled from scientific literature. Furthermore, the system has evolved from being a repository to one that can be used for generating novel data on its own. GT specificity is suggested through sequence comparison with GTs whose function is known. The migration of ECODAB to a relational database has allowed the automation of all processes to update, retrieve and present information, thereby, endowing the system with greater flexibility and improved overall performance. ECODAB is freely available at http://www.casper.organ.su.se/ECODAB/. Currently, data on 169 E. coli unique O-antigen entries and 338 GTs is covered. Moreover, the scope of the database has been extended so that polysaccharide structure and related information from other bacteria subsequently can be added, for example, from Streptococcus pneumoniae.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Frankfurter Str. 100, Giessen 35392, Germany.
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rojas-Macias
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ståhle
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Frankfurter Str. 100, Giessen 35392, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lütteke
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden gw@organ.su.se.
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Widmalm
mesh_terms: D062126:Databases, Chemical; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D012984:Software
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides
keywords: ECODAB; Escherichia coli; O-antigen; database; glycosyltransferase specificity