MDB: The metalloprotein database and browser at the scripps research institute

The Metalloprotein Database and Browser (MDB; http://metallo.scripps.edu) at The Scripps Research Institute is a web-accessible resource for metalloprotein research. It offers the scientific community quantitative information on geometrical parameters of metal-binding sites in protein structures available from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The MDB also offers analytical tools for the examination of trends or patterns in the indexed metal-binding sites. A user can perform interactive searches, metal-site structure visualization (via a Java applet), and analysis of the quantitative data by accessing the MDB through a web browser without requiring an external application or platform-dependent plugin. The MDB also has a non-interactive interface with which other web sites and network-aware applications can seamlessly incorporate data or statistical analysis results from metal-binding sites. The information contained in the MDB is periodically updated with automated algorithms that find and index metal sites from new protein structures released by the PDB.