Protein Overview Section

Introduction

Here you can find the Molecule Page-designated name of the protein as well as all known synonyms, its sequence in mouse (which, for the purposes of this database, defines the molecule in question), the name of the Molecule Page author, and various biophysical properties of the protein.

Molecule Page ID

The Signaling Gateway Molecule Page ID is the primary identifier for a Molecule Page, and is constant across all published versions of the page.

Primary Name

This field contains a name that the editors feel best represents the protein covered by the particular Molecule Page. The authors usually recommend which name they would like to use. In the past, a mix of protein names and gene symbols have been chosen, though the editors are now recommending that a full protein name is used in thie field, usually that chosen by the official nomenclature committees.

All Names

This field contains all names and symbols that refer to this protein and its encoding gene, and is entered by the editors. Authors can recommend additions and/or subtractions to this list.

Functional Category

The editors assign a primary functional category to each protein. Alternate functional categories can be found by looking at the Gene Ontology annotations in the protein family section of the Molecule Page.

Primary Symbol

The primary symbol for a Molecule Page is the official gene symbol of the Entrez Gene record associated with the protein. The gene symbol represents the protein in computed names involving the protein (such as state and class names). If no Entrez Gene record exists for the Molecule Page, the Primary Name is used if it is reasonably short, or the Molecule Page ID as a last resort.

In cases where splice variation leads to more than Molecule Page having the same symbol, the symbol can be modified by the editors to indicate a specific splice variant. In extreme cases where there is no other recourse, the automatic symbol assignment can be overridden, but it is preferable to have Entrez Gene (and thus the gene naming committees, such as HUGO and MGI) change the official gene symbol at the request of a domain expert (i.e. the Molecule Page author).

Molecule Page Version

This field contains the version number of the Molecule Page Version, the data from which you're currently looking at, the version's status, and possibly the date of the last change in status. If the Molecule Page Version has a status of "Automated Data Only" or "Work In Progress", it means that you only have access to the automated annotation for the current Molecule Page Version. If the status is "Published", then you should be able to access peer-reviewed and published expert-curated information through links in the menu on the lefthand side of the Molecule Page.

Corresponding Author

The author in charge of the Molecule Page.

Authors

If authors have been assigned to the Molecule Page Version, then they will be shown in this field.

Acknowledgements

If the Molecule Page Version is published and the author(s) have chosen to acknowledge other contributors to the Molecule Page Version, then that information is displayed here.

Accession

The database identifier for the protein sequence record assigned to the Molecule page. A hyperlink to the record at NCBI is provided, as well as a hyperlink to the Fasta text format of the sequence.

Entrez Gene ID

The Entrez Gene ID is the unique identifier of the NCBI Entrez Gene record. This used to be the LocusLink ID.

Species

The species associated with the external protein database record that defines the canonical sequence for this Molecule Page is displayed here. Clicking on "Database Links" in the left hand menu will lead you to more information about the external protein database record that defines the current protein.

Sequence

The canonical amino acid sequence for this Molecule Page is displayed here.

Molecular Weight

The computed molecular weight of the amino acid sequence, in Kilodaltons (kD).

Isoelectric point

The computed isoelectric point of the amino acid sequence. The isoelectric point is the pH of a solution at which the net charge on the macromolecules is zero.

Extinction Coefficient

The computed extinction coefficient of the amino acid sequence at 280 nm. The extinction coefficient is a measure of the amount of light absorbed by a one molar solution in a centimeter cuvette, in units of per Mol per centimetre. The calculation and assumptions are described at the ExPASy website.

Absorption Coefficient

The computed absorption coefficient of the amino acid sequence. The absorption coefficient, which is also known as optical density, is a measure of the amount of radiant energy, incident normal to a planar surface, that is absorbed per unit distance and unit mass of a substance. The absorption coefficient is given by the ratio of the extinction coefficient to the molecular weight.

Aliphatic Index

The computed aliphatic index of the amino acid sequence. The aliphatic index is defined as the relative volume of a protein occupied by aliphatic side chains and is dimensionless. The calculation and assumptions are described at the ExPASy website.