'Unite and conquer': enhanced prediction of protein subcellular localization by integrating multiple specialized tools

Background: Knowing the subcellular location of proteins provides clues to their function as well as the interconnectivity of biological processes. Dozens of tools are available for predicting protein location in the eukaryotic cell. Each tool performs well on certain data sets, but their predictions often disagree for a given protein. Since the individual tools each have particular strengths, we set out to integrate them in a way that optimally exploits their potential. The method we present here is applicable to various subcellular locations, but tailored for predicting whether or not a protein is localized in mitochondria. Knowledge of the mitochondrial proteome is relevant to understanding the role of this organelle in global cellular processes. Results: In order to develop a method for enhanced prediction of subcellular localization, we integrated the outputs of available localization prediction tools by several strategies, and tested the performance of each strategy with known m...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2007
• Where: BMCBI
• Authors: Yao Qing Shen, Gertraud Burger
• Keywords: BMCBI 2007, Predictions, Proteins, Subcellular Locations