ExPASy: the proteomics server for in-depth protein knowledge and analysis

TLDR

ExPASy is a web‑based proteomics resource launched in 1993 that offers access to protein databases such as SWISS‑PROT, PROSITE, and tools for analysis, and is supported by mirror sites worldwide. Its databases and tools are tightly interlinked, with proteomics tools designed to read SWISS‑PROT annotations to improve predictions. The server offers analysis tools for similarity searches, pattern and profile searches, post‑translational modification prediction, topology prediction, structure analysis, and sequence alignment.

Abstract

The ExPASy (the Expert Protein Analysis System) World Wide Web server (http://www.expasy.org), is provided as a service to the life science community by a multidisciplinary team at the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB). It provides access to a variety of databases and analytical tools dedicated to proteins and proteomics. ExPASy databases include SWISS-PROT and TrEMBL, SWISS-2DPAGE, PROSITE, ENZYME and the SWISS-MODEL repository. Analysis tools are available for specific tasks relevant to proteomics, similarity searches, pattern and profile searches, post-translational modification prediction, topology prediction, primary, secondary and tertiary structure analysis and sequence alignment. These databases and tools are tightly interlinked: a special emphasis is placed on integration of database entries with related resources developed at the SIB and elsewhere, and the proteomics tools have been designed to read the annotations in SWISS-PROT in order to enhance their predictions. ExPASy started to operate in 1993, as the first WWW server in the field of life sciences. In addition to the main site in Switzerland, seven mirror sites in different continents currently serve the user community.