SuperLooper--a prediction server for the modeling of loops in globular and membrane proteins.

SuperLooper provides the first online interface for the automatic, quick and interactive search and placement of loops in proteins (LIP). A database containing half a billion segments of water-soluble proteins with lengths up to 35 residues can be screened for candidate loops. A specified database containing 180,000 membrane loops in proteins (LIMP) can be searched, alternatively. Loop candidates are scored based on sequence criteria and the root mean square deviation (RMSD) of the stem atoms. Searching LIP, the average global RMSD of the respective top-ranked loops to the original loops is benchmarked to be <2 A, for loops up to six residues or <3 A for loops shorter than 10 residues. Other suitable conformations may be selected and directly visualized on the web server from a top-50 list. For user guidance, the sequence homology between the template and the original sequence, proline or glycine exchanges or close contacts between a loop candidate and the remainder of the protein are denoted. For membrane proteins, the expansions of the lipid bilayer are automatically modeled using the TMDET algorithm. This allows the user to select the optimal membrane protein loop concerning its relative orientation to the lipid bilayer. The server is online since October 2007 and can be freely accessed at URL: http://bioinformatics.charite.de/superlooper/.

Superimpose: a 3D structural superposition server.

The Superimposé webserver performs structural similarity searches with a preference towards 3D structure-based methods. Similarities can be detected between small molecules (e.g. drugs), parts of large structures (e.g. binding sites of proteins) and entire proteins. For this purpose, a number of algorithms were implemented and various databases are provided. Superimposé assists the user regarding the selection of a suitable combination of algorithm and database. After the computation on our server infrastructure, a visual assessment of the results is provided. The structure-based in silico screening for similar drug-like compounds enables the detection of scaffold-hoppers with putatively similar effects. The possibility to find similar binding sites can be of special interest in the functional analysis of proteins. The search for structurally similar proteins allows the detection of similar folds with different backbone topology. The Superimposé server is available at: http://bioinformatics.charite.de/superimpose.

Suffix techniques as a rapid method for RNA substructure search.

The RNA Ontology Consortium recently proposed a two-letter representation of the RNA backbone conformation. In this study, we compare the suite notation to a custom string representation that utilizes eta - theta pseudotorsion angles. Both representations were used to assess similarity and self-similarity in several RNA structure datasets. For the detection of similarities between two RNA structures we are utilizing suffix techniques that allow for the detection of substructure similarity within some degree of inexactness. The suite representation as well as the pseudotorsion representation was tested on four diverse RNA datasets. The possibility to detect structural similarities on these datasets allowed to recover many homologous structural elements that have implications for further understanding of the RNA apparatus in Systems Biology. The software as well as the utilized datasets are freely available from http://suiterna.sourceforge.net.