{"678971":{"#nid":"678971","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Database Revolutionizes Protein-Lipid Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EFrom combating cancer and infections to storing energy, lipid-protein interactions are critical to biological processes in cells. But the mechanisms that drive these interactions have historically been difficult to map and understand.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EA study led by Georgia Tech is showcasing a new resource to help researchers understand the structure and function of these interactions \u2014 called assemblies \u2014 at both molecular and functional levels. The work is published in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003ENature-\u003C\/em\u003Efamily journal\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003ECommunications Chemistry\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ECalled BioDolphin \u2014 short for Biological Database of Lipid-Protein Highly Inclusive Interactions \u2014 the resource is the first comprehensive, annotated database of protein-lipid interactions. Integrated into a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.biodolphin.chemistry.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Euser-friendly web server\u003C\/a\u003E, BioDolphin is freely accessible to all. Users can easily view and download interaction data and systematically analyze lipid-protein assemblies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cUnderstanding lipid-protein interactions is crucial in advancing our understanding of human health and disease treatment,\u201d says the study\u2019s corresponding author,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EAndrew McShan\u003C\/strong\u003E. \u201cBioDolphin is the first resource to collect this type of information for\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003Eall\u003C\/em\u003E kinds of proteins, not just those found in membranes. And because it is publicly available, this information is now at the tips of researchers\u2019 fingertips.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s42004-024-01384-z\u0022\u003EBioDolphin as a comprehensive database of lipid\u2013protein binding interactions\u003C\/a\u003E\u201d is led by McShan, an assistant professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech, alongside first author\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ELi-Yen (Zoey) Yang\u003C\/strong\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioinformatics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EBioinformatics\u003C\/a\u003E Ph.D. student;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cse.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Computational Science and Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E Assistant Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EYunan Luo\u003C\/strong\u003E; and\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EKaike Ping,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003Ea Ph.D. student at Virginia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDiving into accessible data\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EA curated database with richly annotated information, BioDolphin contains over 127,000 lipid-protein binding interactions. And while most databases of lipid-protein assemblies have focused solely on a specific type of protein \u2014 membrane proteins \u2014 BioDolphin expands beyond that.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cBioDolphin enables us to globally define the structural features of lipid-protein assemblies across the eight different classes of lipid compounds to understand their cellular function and roles in disease,\u201d says McShan, adding that the database also provides information on paired lipid-protein annotation, experimental binding affinities, intermolecular interactions, and atomic structures across a wide range of lipid-protein interactions \u2014 all available to anyone with an internet connection.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA molecular blueprint for research \u2014 and teaching\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cIn the past, this\u0026nbsp;research has been limited because lipids are notoriously difficult to study in the lab,\u201d McShan says.\u0026nbsp;\u0022BioDolphin changes the paradigm. It is the first time that anyone has collected, annotated, and analyzed the known structural universe of lipid-protein interactions across all organisms.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a rapidly developing field. McShan was recently\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/andrew-mcshan-awarded-curci-grant-cutting-edge-cancer-research\u0022\u003Eawarded a prestigious Curci grant\u003C\/a\u003E for cutting-edge cancer research into lipid-based universal immunotherapies and vaccines.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EBeyond research applications,\u0026nbsp;the team hopes that BioDolphin will be a resource for biochemistry students.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThe database can serve as a tool for teachers and students studying these protein-lipid interactions, which is often an underdeveloped topic in biology and biochemistry courses,\u201d McShan says. \u201cI hope that BioDolphin is a valuable resource for the researchers of today \u2014 and that it can also be a building block for the researchers of tomorrow.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFunding:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EShurl and Kay Curci Foundation, NSF Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services \u0026amp; Support (ACCESS) program, NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), Partnership for an Advanced Computing Environment (PACE) at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Taiwan Ministry of Education Government Scholarship to Study Abroad program.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDOI:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s42004-024-01384-z\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Ehttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s42004-024-01384-z\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFrom helping develop immunotherapies to teaching students, a new open-access database called BioDolphin is providing fresh insights on lipid-protein interactions \u2014 a critical component of biochemical research.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"From helping develop immunotherapies to teaching students, a new open-access database called BioDolphin is providing fresh insights on lipid-protein interactions \u2014 a critical component of biochemical research."}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2024-12-17 23:21:54","changed_gmt":"2024-12-18 14:16:07","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2024-12-18T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-12-18T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675882":{"id":"675882","type":"image","title":"Lipids can be powerful tools to help deliver drugs and treatments through their interactions with proteins. (Adobe Stock)","body":"\u003Cp\u003ELipids can be powerful tools to help deliver drugs and treatments through their interactions with proteins.\u0026nbsp;(Adobe Stock)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1734478889","gmt_created":"2024-12-17 23:41:29","changed":"1734478889","gmt_changed":"2024-12-17 23:41:29","alt":"Lipids can be powerful tools to help deliver drugs and treatments through their interactions with proteins. (Adobe Stock)","file":{"fid":"259556","name":"AdobeStock_661699692.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/17\/AdobeStock_661699692.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/17\/AdobeStock_661699692.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1551301,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/12\/17\/AdobeStock_661699692.jpeg?itok=sg4TyWrH"}}},"media_ids":["675882"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/andrew-mcshan-awarded-curci-grant-cutting-edge-cancer-research","title":"Andrew McShan Awarded Curci Grant for Cutting-Edge Cancer Research"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"192250","name":"cos-microbial"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWritten by Selena Langner\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EContact: \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto: jess.hunt@cos.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJess Hunt-Ralston\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}