Macromolecular Structure Database

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9814284This award to Rutgers University supports the development and operation of an online database of atomic coordinates of proteins and other biological macromolecules whose three-dimensional structures have been determined experimentally. Most known structures have been obtained through use of x-ray scattering or nuclear magnetic resonance. The database will use modern relational database technologies to acquire, archive and distribute information about individual molecules, to enable database queries that survey the entire content of the database, and to facilitate linkage to other online databases, such as those providing protein and genomic sequence information. The PI and her colleagues at Rutgers University, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of California at San Diego are skilled in all aspects of database construction and operation, and have expertise in the experimental techniques used to generate structural data.Knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of proteins and other macromolecules is of great importance in both applied and basic modern biology. Among the types of studies for which such information is critical are the determination of the function of newly discovered genes and the design and modification of new pharmaceuticals. As the amount of such information increases, new uses in understanding the functional interaction of enzymes and other cellular constituents can be expected. Much of this work will depend on the availability of data through the central repository being funded.