De-DUFing the DUFs: Deciphering distant evolutionary relationships of Domains of Unknown Function using sensitive homology detection methods.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In the post-genomic era where sequences are being determined at a rapid rate, we are highly reliant on computational methods for their tentative biochemical characterization. The Pfam database currently contains 3,786 families corresponding to "Domains of Unknown Function" (DUF) or "Uncharacterized Protein Family" (UPF), of which 3,087 families have no reported three-dimensional structure, constituting almost one-fourth of the known protein families in search for both structure and function.

Results

We applied a 'computational structural genomics' approach using five state-of-the-art remote similarity detection methods to detect the relationship between uncharacterized DUFs and domain families of known structures. The association with a structural domain family co

SUBMITTER: Mudgal R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4520260 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature