The CATH database of protein domain structures

NONCODE is an integrated knowledge database dedicated to non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), that is to say, RNAs that function without being translated into proteins. All ncRNAs in NONCODE were filtered automatically from literature and GenBank, and were later manually curated. The distinctive features of NONCODE are as follows: (i) the ncRNAs in NONCODE include almost all the types of ncRNAs, except transfer RNAs and ribosomal RNAs. (ii) All ncRNA sequences and their related information (e.g. function, cellular role, cellular location, chromosomal information, etc.) in NONCODE have been confirmed manually by consulting relevant literature: more than 80 % of the entries are based on experimental data. (iii) Based on the cellular process and function, which a given ncRNA is involved in, we introduced a novel classification system, labeled process function class, to integrate existing classification systems. (iv) In addition, some 1100 ncRNAs have been grouped into nine other classes according to whether they are specific to gender or tissue or associated with tumors and diseases, etc. (v) NONCODE provides a user-friendly interface, a visualization platform and a convenient search option, allowing efficient recovery of sequence, regulatory elements in the flanking sequences, secondary structure, related publications and other information. The first release of NONCODE (v1.0) contains 5339 non-redundant sequences from 861 organisms, including eukaryotes, eubacteria, archaebacteria, virus and viroids. Access is free for all users through a web interface at

Integr8 is a new web portal for exploring the biology of organisms with completely deciphered genomes. For over 190 species, Integr8 provides access to general information, recent publications, and a detailed statistical overview of the genome and proteome of the organism. The preparation of this analysis is supported through Genome Reviews, a new database of bacterial and archaeal DNA sequences in which annotation has been upgraded (compared to the original submission) through the integration of data from many sources, including the EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Database, the UniProt Knowledgebase, InterPro, CluSTr, GOA and HOGENOM. Integr8 also allows the users to customize their own interactive analysis, and to download both customized and prepared datasets for their own use. Integr8 is available at

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The task of gene identification frequently confronting researchers working with both novel and well studied genomes can be conveniently and reliably solved with the help of the GeneMark web software

The Silkworm Knowledgebase (SilkDB) is a webbased repository for the curation, integration and study of silkworm genetic and genomic data. With the recent accomplishment of a 6X draft genome sequence of the domestic silkworm (Bombyx mori), SilkDB provides an integrated representation of the large-scale, genome-wide sequence assembly, cDNAs, clusters of expressed sequence tags (ESTs), transposable elements (TEs), mutants, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and functional annotations of genes with assignments to InterPro domains and Gene Ontology (GO) terms. SilkDB also hosts a set of ESTs from Bombyx mandarina, a wild progenitor of B.mori, and a collection of genes from other Lepidoptera. Comparative analysis results between the domestic and wild silkworm, between B.mori and other Lepidoptera, and between B.mori and the two sequenced insects, fruitfly and mosquito, are displayed by using B.mori genome sequence as a reference framework. Designed as a basic platform, SilkDB strives to provide a comprehensive knowledgebase about the silkworm and present the silkworm genome and related information in systematic and graphical ways for the convenience of in-depth comparative studies. SilkDB is publicly accessible at

Composition Vector Tree (CVTree) implements a systematic method of inferring evolutionary relatedness of microbial organisms from the oligopeptide content of their complete proteomes

Work on a large number of biological problems benefits tremendously from having an easy way to access the annotation of DNA sequence features, such as intron/exon structure, the contents of promoter regions and the location of other genes in upsteam and downstream regions. For example, taking the placement of introns within a gene into account can help in a phylogenetic analysis of homologous genes. Designing experiments for investigating UTR regions using PCR or DNA microarrays require knowledge of known elements in UTR regions and the positions and strandness of other genes nearby on the chromosome. A wealth of such information is already known and documented in databases such as GenBank and the NCBI Human Genome builds. However, it usually requires significant bioinformatics skills and intimate knowledge of the data format to access this information. Presented here is a highly flexible and easy-to-use tool for extracting feature annotation from GenBank entries. The tool is also useful for extracting datasets corresponding to a particular feature (e.g. promoters). Most importantly, the output data format is highly consistent, easy to handle for the user and easy to parse computationally. The FeatureExtract web server is freely available for both academic and commercial use at

The development of glycan related databases and bioinformatics applications is considerably lagging behind compared with the wealth of available data and software tools in genomics and proteomics. Since the encoding of glycan structures is more complex, most of the bioinformatics approaches cannot be applied to glycan structures. No standard procedures exist where glycan structures found in various species, organs, tissues or cells can be routinely deposited. In this article the concepts of the GLYCOSCIENCES.de portal are described. It is demonstrated how an efficient structure based cross-linking of various glycan-related data originating from different resources can be accomplished using a single user interface. The structure oriented retrieval options – exact structure, substructure, motif, composition and sugar components – are discussed. The types of available data – references, composition, spatial structures, NMR shifts (experimental and estimated), theoretically calculated fragments and PDB entries – are exemplified for Man3. The free availability and unrestricted use of glycan-related data is an absolute prerequisite to efficiently share distributed resources. Additionally, there is an urgent need to agree to a generally accepted exchange format as well as to a common software interface. An open access repository for glyco-related experimental data will secure that the loss of primary data will be considerably reduced.

Sequences that are present in a given species or strain while absent from or different in any other organisms can be used to distinguish the target organism from other related or un-related species. Such DNA signatures are particularly important for the identification of genetic source of drug resistance of a strain or for the detection of organisms that can be used as biological agents in warfare or terrorism. Most approaches used to find DNA signatures are laboratory based, require a great deal of effort and can only distinguish between two organisms at a time. We propose a more efficient and cost-effective bioinformatics approach that allows identification of genomic fingerprints for a target organism. We validated our approach using a custom microarray, using sequences identified as DNA fingerprints of Bacillus anthracis. Hybridization results showed that the sequences found using our algorithm were truly unique to B. anthracis and were able to distinguish B. anthracis from its close relatives B. cereus and B. thuringiensis. 1.