Case Studies of Orphan Domain Reclassification in ECOD by Expert Curation.

ABSTRACT: Homology-based protein domain classification is a powerful tool for gaining biological insights into protein function. This classification process has been significantly enhanced by the availability of experimental structures and high-accuracy structural models generated by advanced tools such as AlphaFold. Our Evolutionary Classification of protein Domains (ECOD) database provides a continuously updated and refined domain classification system. Isolated ("orphan") protein domain families, which have a limited distribution in the protein universe, present a unique challenge in this classification process. These families lack clear or identifiable evolutionary relationships with other sequence families. While some isolated domain families may have emerged through de novo evolution, others p

SUBMITTER: Pei J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12353581 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature