| Availability of large number of sequenced genomes, and information describing signal transduction networks will dramatically accelerate progress toward a comprehensive understanding of the genetic mechanisms involved in biochemical processes pertinent to medicine, biotechnology and bioremediation. However, such progress is enormously facilitated by the integration of information from various computational tools for high throughput analysis. Signal transduction proteins have characteristic domains by which they can be identified. Moreover, since global similarity searches are not sufficient for characterization in the majority of proteins, additional functional domains can provide cues to more precise function. Conserved chromosomal gene clusters also provide information regarding potential genes co-regulated with the signal transduction proteins, which also aid in these assignments. The results of such analysis are stored in Sentra database available at (http://www-wit.mcs.anl.gov/sentra). In addition to providing an access to analysis of signal transduction proteins using the described algorithm, the Sentra database enables the user to determine the more intricate functions not alluded to by the primary functional assignment such as domain composition of signal transduction proteins and their involvement in conserved chromosomal gene clusters. Interactive tools are also provided for evolutionary analysis. |
