May 15, 2005 (Vol. 25, No. 10)
URL:
http://cbm.bio.uniroma2.it/surface
Rating:
Strong Points: Multiple Search strategies, different approach
Weak Points: None
Summary:
SURFACE’s (SUrface Residues and Functions Annotated, Compared, and Evaluated) approach to understanding an unknown protein’s function is to look at its surface (suprise!) and compare it to similar surfaces of known proteins and infer function. This is not an unreasonable idea. For many proteins the surface is the interface for selective binding, recognition, and interaction with other molecules. Regions of protein surfaces called patches are defined by the program and assist in identification of new functional surface sites on proteins and permit identification of unknown structures in existing databases. Records returned by the database (searching with a PDB code, a PROSITE pattern, or a Ligand) are detailed, hyperlinked, and, like the other structure database records, extensive.
