The Yeast Proteome Database (YPD) and Caenorhabditis elegans Proteome Database (WormPD): comprehensive resources for the organization and comparison of model organism protein information

The Yeast Proteome Database (YPD(TM)) has been for several years a resource for organized and accessible information about the proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have now extended the YPD format to create a database containing complete proteome information about the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (WormPD(TM)). YPD and WormPD are designed for use not on ly by their respective research communities but also by the broader scientific community. In both databases, information gleaned from the literature is presented in a consistent, user-friendly Protein Report format: a single Web page presenting all available-knowledge about a particular protein. Each Protein Report begins with a Title Line, a concise description of the function of that protein that is continually updated as curators review new literature, Properties and functions of the protein are presented in tabular form in the upper part of the Report, and free-text annotations organized by topic are presented in the lower part. Each Protein Report ends with a comprehensive reference list whose entries are linked to their MEDLINE abstracts. YPD and WormPD are seamlessly integrated, with extensive links between the species. They are freely accessible to academic users on the WWW at http://www.proteome.com/databases/index.html, and are available by subscription to corporate users.