InterPro

InterPro is a database that integrates together predictive information about proteins' function from several different resources. The information is derived from diagnostic models, known as "signatures", provided by each member database of InterPro consortium that are used to build an InterPro entry, a curated protein signature database of the consortium.

Overview

InterPro is a consortium that combines the efforts of the Protein Information Resource (PIR), PROSITE, PRINTS, ProDom, Pfam, SMART, TIGRFAMs, PIRSF, SUPERFAMILY, Gene3D and PANTHER. The consortium was established in 1999, initially funded by the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) and later by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

InterPro's goal is to provide an integrated documentation resource for protein families, domains and functional sites, to aid in the functional characterization of new sequences. It does this by amalgamating the predictive signatures into one resource, capitalizing on their individual strengths to produce a powerful integrated database and diagnostic tool.

Function

InterPro uses predictive models, known as signatures, provided by several different databases, to predict the function of uncharacterized protein sequences. These signatures are then used to build an InterPro entry. Each entry includes a concise description of the group of proteins it covers, including details of any associated protein domains, repeats and important sites, along with an extensive bibliography.

See also

• Protein structure
• Protein domain
• Protein family

External links

• Official website