Exploiting Publicly Available Biological and Biochemical Information for the Discovery of Novel Short Linear Motifs
2011

Discovering New Short Linear Motifs in Proteins

Sample size: 7 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Sayadi Ahmed, Briganti Leonardo, Tramontano Anna

Primary Institution: Sapienza University of Rome

Hypothesis

Can we identify novel short linear motifs (SLiMs) in proteins using an automatic discovery approach based on their occurrence in unrelated proteins within the same biological pathways?

Conclusion

The MoDiPath procedure successfully identified both known and novel short linear motifs across various organisms, providing a valuable resource for further biological research.

Supporting Evidence

  • The MoDiPath procedure identified 104 statistically significant motifs specific to human pathways.
  • Out of the 104 motifs, 22 were novel and shared no similarity with known motifs.
  • The study utilized a web interface to make the discovered motifs accessible to the scientific community.

Takeaway

Scientists found new patterns in proteins that help them understand how proteins work together in the body. This can help in studying diseases.

Methodology

The MoDiPath procedure groups proteins by KEGG pathways and uses the SLiMFinder algorithm to identify over-represented SLiMs in unrelated proteins.

Potential Biases

Potential bias may arise from the selection of proteins and pathways, as well as the reliance on existing databases for motif comparison.

Limitations

The study relies on the accuracy of the KEGG database and the effectiveness of the SLiMFinder algorithm, which may not capture all motifs.

Participant Demographics

The study analyzed proteins from seven organisms: H.sapiens, R.norvegicus, M.musculus, D.melanogaster, C.elegans, S.cerevisiae, and E.coli.

Statistical Information

P-Value

3e-9

Statistical Significance

p<3e-9

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0022270

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