ApicoTFdb

ApicoTFdb provides a curated repository of transcription factors (TFs) and transcription-associated co-factors (TcoFs) from apicomplexan genomes to support analysis of gene regulatory mechanisms in apicomplexan parasites.

Key Features:

• Extensive data collection: Contains 1292 transcription factors across 14 apicomplexan species, including experimentally validated and computationally predicted TFs representing 20 families such as AP2, TUB, NAC, BSD, HTH, Cupin/Jumonji, winged helix, and FHA.
• Bioinformatics predictions: Integrates bioinformatics-aided predictions to identify previously unreported TF families beyond the AP2 family.
• Curated transcription-associated co-factors: Classifies 2491 TcoFs into transcriptional regulators (TRs), co-regulatory regions (CRRs), and RNA-related factors (RNARs).
• manual curation: Applies manual curation to predicted TFs to refine annotations and complement existing genomic annotations.
• Annotations and interactions: Includes literature references, protein-protein interactions, pathway annotations, and detailed entry-level annotations for each entity.

Scientific Applications:

• Comparative regulatory analysis: Enables comparison of TF and TcoF repertoires across apicomplexan species to investigate gene regulatory mechanisms.
• Life-cycle and pathogenesis studies: Supports investigation of life-cycle stage regulation, pathogenesis, and host–parasite interactions in apicomplexan parasites.
• Drug target discovery: Assists identification of candidate transcriptional regulators as potential drug targets to address drug resistance.

Methodology:

Systematic bioinformatics predictions of TFs and TcoFs were performed, followed by rigorous manual curation to validate and refine annotations.