DiSCo

DiSCo predicts and classifies proteins involved in Dsr-dependent dissimilatory sulphur metabolism to determine their metabolic roles in microbial genomes and metagenomes.

Key Features:

• Automated Identification and Classification: Automates identification and classification of Dsr-related protein types from protein sequence data, assigning protein family and predicted type.
• Sequence Data Extraction: Extracts protein sequence data from input datasets for downstream analyses.
• High Accuracy and Efficiency: Provides high accuracy in predicting metabolic functions of Dsr pathway proteins and scales to large datasets.
• Extensive Dataset Analysis Capability: Validated on a dataset of over 190,000 (meta)genomic records for mapping Dsr-dependent dissimilatory sulphur proteins across microbial lineages.
• Discovery of Novel Microorganisms: Enabled identification of microorganisms in Thaumarchaeota and Spirochaetes with genetic potential for Dsr-dependent energy conservation.
• Cross-Domain Applicability: Maps Dsr proteins across both prokaryotic domains, covering 1798 lineages.

Scientific Applications:

• Metabolic Potential Prediction: Infer the Dsr-dependent metabolic potential of microorganisms from their protein sequences.
• Novel Organism Detection: Identify organisms that encode Dsr pathway genes, facilitating discovery of new taxa with sulphur metabolism potential.
• Ecological and Evolutionary Mapping: Map the distribution and diversity of Dsr-dependent dissimilatory sulphur metabolism across ecological niches and microbial lineages.

Methodology:

Analyzes user-supplied protein sequences to identify and classify proteins involved in Dsr-dependent dissimilatory sulphur metabolism and to predict their metabolic function.