Figure 2 Functional categories in eukaryotic proteomes. The classification categories were derived from functional classification systems, including the top-level biological function category of the Gene Ontology Project (GO; see http://www.geneontology.org). Initial sequencing and analysis of the human genome. International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium. Nature. Feb 15, 2001; 409(6822):860–921.

doi:10.1201/9780203910696-15

Chapter

Figure 2 Functional categories in eukaryotic proteomes. The classification categories were derived from functional classification systems, including the top-level biological function category of the Gene Ontology Project (GO; see http://www.geneontology.org). Initial sequencing and analysis of the human genome. International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium. Nature. Feb 15, 2001; 409(6822):860–921.

Chapter

ABSTRACT

Through the use of bioinformatic tools, as well as the extensive amount of sequence data available in public databases, it is now becoming a common practice to investigate the relationships between the protein sequence of a gene and to classify it in a specific protein family. Comparing the protein and DNA sequence of novel proteins with other proteins of known function and similar structure, we are able to predict biochemical or biological properties based on previously collected data on these family members [2,3,5,7-9,12]. An important caveat and difficulty with this process is that many proteins in higher organisms have evolved through fusion of the functional domains of existing proteins and are a composite of more than one protein ancestral family (Fig. 3).