CSCDB: The cAMP and cGMP signaling components database

Adenylate cyclases, guanylate cyclases, cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases, and cyclic nucleotide-binding proteins constitute the core of cAMP and cGMP signaling components. Using a combination of BLAST and profile search methods, we found that cyclic nucleotide-binding proteins exhibited diverse domain architectures. In addition to the domain architectures involved in the characterized functional groups, a cyclic nucleotide-binding domain was also fused to various domains involved in pyridine nucleotide-disulfide oxidoreductase, acetyltransferase, thioredoxin reductase, glutaminase, rhodanese, ferredoxin, and diguanylate cyclase, implying the versatile functions of cyclic nucleotide-binding proteins. We constructed the CSCDB database to accumulate the components of cAMP and cGMP signaling pathways in the complete genomes. User-friendly interfaces were created for easier browsing, searching, and downloading the data. Besides harboring the sequence itself, each entry provided detailed annotation information, such as sequence features, chromosomal localization, functional domains, transmembrane region, and sequence similarity against several major databases. Currently, CSCDB contains 4234 entries covering 466 organisms, including 35 eukaryotes, 382 bacteria, and 29 archaea. CSCDB can be freely accessible on the web at http://cscdb.com.cn. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Inc.