cuticleDB: a relational database of Arthropod cuticular proteins

Background: The insect exoskeleton or cuticle is a bi-partite composite of proteins and chitin that provides protective, skeletal and structural functions. Little information is available about the molecular structure of this important complex that exhibits a helicoidal architecture. Scores of sequences of cuticular proteins have been obtained from direct protein sequencing, from cDNAs, and from genomic analyses. Most of these cuticular protein sequences contain motifs found only in arthropod proteins. Description: cuticleDB is a relational database containing all structural proteins of Arthropod cuticle identified to date. Many come from direct sequencing of proteins isolated from cuticle and from sequences from cDNAs that share common features with these authentic cuticular proteins. It also includes proteins from the Drosophila melanogaster and the Anopheles gambiae genomes, that have been predicted to be cuticular proteins, based on a Pfam motif (PF00379) responsible for chitin bi...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2004
• Where: BMCBI
• Authors: Christiana K. Magkrioti, Ioannis C. Spyropoulos, Vassiliki A. Iconomidou, Judith H. Willis, Stavros J. Hamodrakas
• Keywords: BMCBI 2004, Cuticle, Cuticular Proteins, Proteins