What is the ChemokineDB?
The ChemokineDB is a comprehensive resource of chemokines and chemokine receptors that provides researchers with detailed information including taxonomy, nomenclature, structure, physiological function, tissue information, and phenotype. The data presented here is collected from previously conducted experiments and analysis from public databases: IUPHAR/BPS, NCBI Gene, and UniProt. We also link to a number of databases extending the reach of the application and making it easier for the researcher to retrieve and review information.
Collected Information:
Aggregated function data: physiological functions, function assays, expression, tissue, diseases, phenotypes, Gene ontology, GeneRifsReceptor-Ligand interaction | Gene information | Protein information
What are chemokines?
Chemokines are a small family of cell-secreted proteins involved in directly signaling nearby cells through chemotaxis. Four main families exist (CC, CXC, CX3C and XC). Chemokines interact with neighboring cells through G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and are named based on the type of chemokines with which it interacts. The GPCR in turn communicates with the rest of the cell by way of signal transduction mediated by a G-protein. Understanding the inter-relationships between chemokines, species and chemokine receptors is critical in understanding the role in human health and disease, and in drug development. More information about chemokines and chemokine receptors can be found here.
Why did we develop ChemokineDB?
A comprehensive review of published literature is insufficient to obtain the latest chemokine-related information as contributions to the field occur very frequently. As an alternative, researchers consult several different databases like UniProt, NCBI Gene or the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to PHARMACOLOGY IUPHAR/BPS to collect the most recent gene, protein and receptor-ligand information. To simplify the access to the latest information in the chemokine and chemokine receptor field, we have developed ChemokineDB.
Our goals are to:
- Collect and present the latest chemokine/receptor related data in one resource
- Merge functional information from different databases to provide a comprehensive resource for chemokine and receptor functions
How many entries are in ChemokineDB?
Currently, our database contains:
- 93 chemokines (43 Human, 28 Mouse, 15 Rat, 7 Virus)
- 62 chemokine Receptors (23 Human, 23 Mouse, 16 Rat)
Who develops ChemokineDB?
The ChemokineDB is joint effort between the Bioinformatics and Computational Biosciences Branch (BCBB) and the Molecular Signaling Section, Laboratory of Molecular Immunology at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD.
Where does the data originate?
ChemokineDB obtains data from the IUPHAR/BPS, NCBI Gene, and UniProt databases. Citations for these databases are listed below:
Southan C, Sharman JL, Benson HE, Faccenda E, Pawson AJ, Alexander SPH, Buneman OP, Davenport AP, McGrath JC, Peters JA, Spedding M, Catterall WA, Fabbro D, Davies JA; NC-IUPHAR. (2016) The IUPHAR/BPS Guide to PHARMACOLOGY in 2016: towards curated quantitative interactions between 1300 protein targets and 6000 ligands. Nucl. Acids Res. 44 (Database Issue): D1054-68.
Brown GR, Hem V, Katz KS, Ovetsky M, Wallin C, Ermolaeva O, Tolstoy I, Tatusova T, Pruitt KD, Maglott DR, Murphy TD. (2015) Gene: a gene-centered information resource at NCBI Nucleic Acids Res. 43(Database issue):D36-42.
The UniProt Consortium (2017) UniProt: the universal protein knowledgebase. Nucleic Acids Res. 45(D1):D158-D169.
Questions or comments?
If you would like more information about ChemokineDB or if you have questions or comments, please contact us