Plant Proteomics Databases: Their Status in 2005

Proteome analysis linked to genome sequence information is very useful for functional genomics. Since proteins are the major players in most processes of living cells, knowledge of the proteome has great relevance to the study of cells and organisms at the molecular level. The technique of proteome analysis using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) has the power to monitor global changes that occur in the protein complement of tissues and subcellular compartments. As a complement to more focused studies, and to facilitate further advances in functional genomics, several databases based on 2D-PAGE are already available including those for plants. In this review, the rice proteome database and other plant proteome databases are discussed. Organizing and streamlining the access of information into plant proteome databases, especially the rice proteome database, will aid in cloning the genes and predicting the function of unknown proteins.