Invited Talks

SWISS-PROT is a curated added-value protein sequence database that strives to provide a high level of annotations (such as the description of the function of a protein, its domain structure, post-translational modifications, variants, etc.), a minimal level of redundancy, and a high level of integration with other databases [1]. It currently contains about 80,000 annotated sequence entries from 6,500 species. It is used by an estimated 200,000 users worldwide and accessed through many different distribution media—the most popular one being currently the world wide web (see www.expasy.ch/sprot/). SWISS-PROT is complemented by TrEMBL, a computer-annotated supplement. We will describe what we believe are the challenges that face SWISS-PROT in the near and not so near future. How can knowledge provided by scientists cohabit with computerized inferences? How will databases, journals, and researchers develop new relationships? What will be the impact of proteomic projects on the characterization of proteins? These are a few of the many questions that we will attempt to briefly evoke.