PSORTb

PSORTb predicts subcellular localization of proteins in prokaryotes, identifying cellular compartmentalization across bacterial and archaeal proteomes.

Key Features:

• Enhanced recall and proteome-scale coverage: Version 3.0 improves recall and expands prediction coverage across entire proteomes.
• Refined localization subcategories: Differentiates specialized locations including host cell-targeted proteins and bacterial hyperstructures/organelles.
• Inclusivity of prokaryotic diversity: Tailored to accommodate atypical membrane and cell wall topologies and applicable to both bacteria and archaea.
• Validation: Performance evaluated using 5-fold cross-validation and independent proteomics analyses demonstrating improved accuracy.
• Complementarity with other predictors: Predictions can be combined with results from Proteome Analyst for complementary interpretation.

Scientific Applications:

• Microbial genomics: Annotates subcellular localization across prokaryotic genomes to inform genome annotation.
• Proteomics: Interprets proteomics datasets by assigning proteins to cellular compartments.
• Pathogen–host interaction studies: Identifies proteins targeted to host cells and other localization signals relevant to virulence.
• Antimicrobial research: Informs selection of potential antibacterial targets by locating proteins in accessible compartments.
• Evolutionary and comparative biology: Enables comparison of localization patterns across bacterial and archaeal species.

Methodology:

Uses sequence-based algorithmic predictions that integrate biological markers and motifs associated with specific cellular compartments, relies on a comprehensive database covering typical and atypical prokaryotic structures, and was validated with 5-fold cross-validation and independent proteomics analyses.