The Human Proteoform Atlas: a FAIR community resource for experimentally derived proteoforms

The Human Proteoform Atlas (HPfA) is a web-based repository of experimentally verified human proteoforms on-line at http://human-proteoform- atlas.org and is a direct descendant of the Consortium of Top-Down Proteomics' (CTDP) Proteoform Atlas. Proteoforms are the specific forms of protein molecules expressed by our cells and include the unique combination of post-translational modifications (PTMs), alternative splicing and other sources of variation deriving from a specific gene. The HPfA uses a FAIR system to assign persistent identifiers to proteoforms which allows for redundancy calling and tracking from prior and future studies in the growing community of proteoform biology and measurement. The HPfA is organized around open ontologies and enables flexible classification of proteoforms. To achieve this, a public registry of experimentally verified proteoforms was also created. Submission of new proteoforms can be processed through email via nrtdphelp@northwestern.edu, and future iterations of these proteoform atlases will help to organize and assign function to proteoforms, their PTMs and their complexes in the years ahead.

Automated summary

The Human Proteoform Atlas is an online repository storing experimentally verified human proteoforms, using a FAIR system to assign persistent identifiers and facilitate tracking and organization. Users can submit new proteoforms via email, and future iterations will help in studying and organizing these protein molecules further.