SDSC Scientists' Exploration of the Human Genome Published in PLoS Computational Biology

Published 08/18/2005

San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) scientist, Philip Bourne and Lei Xie of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) pharmacology department today released the results of their work creating a "Most Wanted List" of three-dimensional protein structures to help scientists better understand the human genome. Featured in the August 18, 2005 issue of PLoS Computational Biology, the work opens the door for biologists to continue the long path to fully understanding the human genome - specifically the molecular basis of physiological processes and disease states.

"Using the Enzyme Commission and the Gene Ontology classifications as a reference frame and integrating structure data from the Protein Data Bank (PDB), target sequences provide a quantified view... of the current and projected coverage of protein structure and function space relative to the human genome," the paper explains.

The "Most Wanted List" will also used by the structural genomics community as they undertake large-scale structure determination. The goal of this project is to improve the understanding of protein functional space.

Published by the Public Library of Science, this monthly journal features works of exceptional significance that further our understanding of living systems at all scales through the application of computational methods. The entire " Functional Coverage of the Human Genome by Existing Structures, Structural Genomics Targets and Homology Models" paper can be accessed online.