Versatility of Protein Domains
Author Information
Author(s): Weiner J, Moore A D, Bornberg-Bauer E
Primary Institution: Westphalian Wilhelms-University, Münster, Germany
Hypothesis
Are all domains equally promiscuous given a certain number of occurrences?
Conclusion
The study finds that domain versatility is not necessarily linked to domain abundance or age, and that some domains are more versatile than others.
Supporting Evidence
- Domains that occur as single domain proteins have a higher DVI.
- Contrary to previous studies, versatility is lower in Eukaryotes.
- The DVI is independent of domain age.
- Domains at protein termini tend to have a higher DVI.
- Longer domains have a higher DVI.
Takeaway
Some protein building blocks can mix and match better than others, and this ability isn't just about how often they show up.
Methodology
The study calculated the Domain Versatility Index (DVI) by analyzing the number of occurrences and immediate neighbors of protein domains across different genomes.
Potential Biases
Potential biases may arise from the reliance on the SwissPfam database and the thresholds set for DVI calculation.
Limitations
The DVI could not be calculated for domains that are not widely spread or occur only in a few known proteins.
Participant Demographics
The analysis included data from 10,746 species.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<10-15
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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