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Protein structure database

Protein structure database is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Protein structure database rather than just read about it. In short: In biology, a protein structure database is a database that is modeled around the various experimentally determined protein structures. The aim of most protein structure databases is to organize and annotate the protein structures, providing the biological community access to the experimental data in a useful way.

Key takeaways

  • Protein structure database belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Protein structure database to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Protein structure database from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In biology, a protein structure database is a database that is modeled around the various experimentally determined protein structures. The aim of most protein structure databases is to organize and annotate the protein structures, providing the biological community access to the experimental data in a useful way. Data included in protein structure databases often includes three-dimensional coordinates as well as experimental information, such as unit cell dimensions and angles for x-ray crystallography determined structures. Though most instances, in this case either proteins or a specific structure determinations of a protein, also contain sequence information and some databases even provide means for performing sequence based queries, the primary attribute of a structure database is structural information, whereas sequence databases focus on sequence information, and contain no structural information for the majority of entries. Protein structure databases are critical for many efforts in computational biology such as structure based drug design, both in developing the computational methods used and in providing a large experimental dataset used by some methods to provide insights about the function of a protein.

The Protein Data Bank

The Protein Data Bank (PDB) was established in 1971 as the central archive of all experimentally determined protein structure data. Today the PDB is maintained by an international consortia collectively known as the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB). The mission of the wwPDB is to maintain a single archive of macromolecular structural data that is freely and publicly available to the global community.

List of other protein structure databases Because the PDB releases data into the public domain, the data has been used in various other protein structure databases. Examples of protein structure databases include (in alphabetical order);

Database of Macromolecular Movements describes the motions that occur in proteins and other macromolecules, particularly using movies Dynameomics a data warehouse of molecular dynamics simulations and analyses of proteins representing all known protein fold families JenaLib the Jena Library of Biological Macromolecules is aimed at a better dissemination of information on three-dimensional biopolymer structures with an emphasis on visualization and analysis. ModBase a database of three-dimensional protein models calculated by comparative modeling OCA a browser-database for protein structure/function - The OCA integrates information from KEGG, OMIM, PDBselect, Pfam, PubMed, SCOP, SwissProt, and others. OPM provides spatial positions of protein three-dimensional structures with respect to the lipid bilayer. PDB Lite derived from OCA, PDB Lite was provided to make it as easy as possible to find and view a macromolecule within the PDB PDBsum provides an overview macromolecular structures in the PDB, giving schematic diagrams of the molecules in each structure and of the interactions between them PDBTM the Protein Data Bank of Transmembrane Proteins — a selection of the PDB. PDBWiki a community annotated knowledge base of biological molecular structures [1] ProtCID The Protein Common Interface Database (ProtCID) is a database of similar protein–protein interfaces in crystal structures of homologous proteins. Protein the NIH protein database, a collection of sequences from several sources, including translations from annotated coding regions in GenBank, RefSeq and Third Party Annotation, as well as records from SwissProt, PIR, PRF, and PDB Proteopedia the collaborative, 3D encyclopedia of proteins and other molecules. A wiki that contains a page for every entry in the PDB (>100,000 pages), with a Jmol view that highlights functional sites and ligands. Offers an easy-to-use scene-authoring tool so you don't have to learn Jmol script language to create customized molecular scenes. Custom scenes are easily attached to "green links" in descriptive text that display those scenes in Jmol. ProteinLounge a protein databases that includes visuals of protein structure. Also, includes protein pathways and gene sequences including other tools. SCOP the Structural Classification of Proteins [2] a detailed and comprehensive description of the structural and evolutionary relationships between all proteins whose structure is known. SWISS-MODEL Repository a database of annotated protein models calculated by homology modeling TOPSAN the Open Protein Structure Annotation Network — a wiki designed to collect, share and distribute information about protein three-dimensional structures.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Protein structure database

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Protein structure database claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Protein structure database before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Protein structure database ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Protein structure database

In research
Protein structure database appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Protein structure database in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Protein structure database is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Protein structure databases, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Protein structure database outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Protein structure database in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Protein structure database means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Protein structure database out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Protein structure database in simple terms?

In biology, a protein structure database is a database that is modeled around the various experimentally determined protein structures. The aim of most protein structure databases is to organize and annotate the protein structures, providing the biological community access to the experimental data…

Why does Protein structure database matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Protein structure database?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Protein structure database.

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