BLAST Search Updater: a notification system for new database matches

PDBalert: automatic, recurrent remote homology tracking and protein structure prediction

BACKGROUND

During the last years, methods for remote homology detection have grown more and more sensitive and reliable. Automatic structure prediction servers relying on these methods can generate useful 3D models even below 20% sequence identity between the protein of interest and the known structure (template). When no homologs can be found in the protein structure database (PDB), the user would need to rerun the same search at regular intervals in order to make timely use of a template once it becomes available.

RESULTS

PDBalert is a web-based automatic system that sends an email alert as soon as a structure with homology to a protein in the user's watch list is released to the PDB database or appears among the sequences on hold. The mail contains links to the search results and to an automatically generated 3D homology model. The sequence search is performed with the same software as used by the very sensitive and reliable remote homology detection server HHpred, which is based on pairwise comparison of Hidden Markov models.

CONCLUSION

PDBalert will accelerate the information flow from the PDB database to all those who can profit from the newly released protein structures for predicting the 3D structure or function of their proteins of interest.

Re-searcher: a system for recurrent detection of homologous protein sequences

Background

Sequence searches are routinely employed to detect and annotate related proteins. However, a rapid growth of databases necessitates a frequent repetition of sequence searches and subsequent analysis of obtained results. Although there are several automatic systems available for executing periodical sequence searches and reporting results, they all suffer either from a lack of sensitivity, restrictive database choice or limited flexibility in setting up search strategies. Here, a new sequence search and reporting software package designed to address these shortcomings is described.

Results

Re-searcher is an open-source highly configurable system for recurrent detection and reporting of new homologs for the sequence of interest in specified protein sequence databases. Searches are performed using PSI-BLAST at desired time intervals either within NCBI or local databases. In addition to searches against individual databases, the system can perform "PDB-BLAST"-like combined searches, when PSI-BLAST profile generated during search against the first database is used to search the second database. The system supports multiple users enabling each to separately keep track of multiple queries and query-specific results.

Conclusions

Re-searcher features a large number of options enabling automatic periodic detection of both close and distant homologs. At the same time it has a simple and intuitive interface, making the analysis of results even for a large number of queries a straightforward task.

Protein engineering

This chapter focuses on protein engineering strategies that aim to increase the chances of obtaining crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction. The chapter is divided into three main parts: one dealing with protein engineering through a bioinformatics approach, the second focusing on DNA modifications via random mutagenesis, and the third describing a nonexhaustive number of in vitro modifications based on site-directed mutagenesis.

Recent Hits Acquired by BLAST (ReHAB): a tool to identify new hits in sequence similarity searches

BACKGROUND

Sequence similarity searching is a powerful tool to help develop hypotheses in the quest to assign functional, structural and evolutionary information to DNA and protein sequences. As sequence databases continue to grow exponentially, it becomes increasingly important to repeat searches at frequent intervals, and similarity searches retrieve larger and larger sets of results. New and potentially significant results may be buried in a long list of previously obtained sequence hits from past searches.

RESULTS

ReHAB (Recent Hits Acquired from BLAST) is a tool for finding new protein hits in repeated PSI-BLAST searches. ReHAB compares results from PSI-BLAST searches performed with two versions of a protein sequence database and highlights hits that are present only in the updated database. Results are presented in an easily comprehended table, or in a BLAST-like report, using colors to highlight the new hits. ReHAB is designed to handle large numbers of query sequences, such as whole genomes or sets of genomes. Advanced computer skills are not needed to use ReHAB; the graphics interface is simple to use and was designed with the bench biologist in mind.

CONCLUSIONS

This software greatly simplifies the problem of evaluating the output of large numbers of protein database searches.

Evidence of en bloc duplication in vertebrate genomes

It has been 30 years since it was first proposed that the vertebrate genome evolved through several rounds of genome-wide duplications (polyploidizations). Despite rapid advances in genetics, including sequencing of the complete genomes of several divergent species, this hypothesis has not been tested rigorously and is still a matter of debate. If polyploidizations occurred during chordate evolution, there should be a network of paralogous regions in the present-day jawed vertebrate (Gnathostomata) genomes. Here we present an investigation of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) paralogous regions, which we accomplished by characterizing the corresponding region in amphioxus by identifying nine anchor genes and sequencing both the anchor genes and the regions that flank them (a total of 400 kb). Phylogenetic analysis of 31 genes (including the anchor genes) in these regions shows that duplications occurred after the divergence of cephalochordates and vertebrates but before the Gnathostomata radiation. The distribution of human and amphioxus orthologs in their respective genomes and the relationship between these distributions support the en bloc duplication events. Our analysis represents the first step towards demonstrating that the human ancestral genome has undergone polyploidization. Moreover, reconstruction of the pre-duplicated region indicates that one of the duplicated regions retains the ancestral organization.