SulfAtlas

SulfAtlas provides sequence-based classification of sulfatases, organizing sequences into families S1–S4 (with S1 comprising formylglycine-dependent sulfatases) and linking sequences to biochemical and structural data to inform studies of substrate specificity.

Key Features:

• Phylogenetic Classification: Employs phylogenetic analyses to categorize sulfatases into subfamilies within each primary family based on sequence similarity and substrate-specificity differences.
• Comprehensive Sequence Database: Hosts over 162,430 sulfatase sequences (as of August 2022), expanded from an initial 4,550 sequences in 2016.
• Integration with Biochemical and Structural Data: Links each sequence to relevant biochemical and structural information derived from expert-reviewed literature.
• Advanced Search Capabilities: Provides keyword and BLAST-based sequence similarity searches and a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) search engine for rapid assignment of sulfatases to families or subfamilies in metagenomic datasets.
• Regular Updates: Is updated using an internal pipeline that incorporates the SulfAtlas HMM tool.

Scientific Applications:

• Functional Genomics: Supports annotation of genomic sequences by linking sulfatase sequences to specific biochemical functions.
• Metagenomic Studies: Enables classification of sulfatases from metagenomic samples to accelerate discovery of novel enzymes.
• Structural Biology: Provides structural information linked to sequences to facilitate studies of enzyme mechanisms and interactions.

Methodology:

Uses phylogenetic analyses of sequence similarity, BLAST-based sequence similarity searches, Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) for family and subfamily assignment, and an internal update pipeline incorporating the SulfAtlas HMM tool.