Exploring the UniCarbKB Database

UniCarbKB (http://unicarbkb.org) is an international collaboration to develop an open-source glycobioinformatics database to support glycomics and the emerging technology of glycoproteomics. It is a peer-reviewed, curated collection of information on well-characterised published glycan structures derived from glycoproteins, biological fluids and tissues. UniCarbKB provides contextual information for glycan structures attached to proteins, and where known maintains the commonly lost connection between a glycan structure and the attached protein sites as annotated in UniProtKB. This information is further supplemented with descriptions of their biological source, supporting reference(s) and the experimental methods that were employed to determine the glycan structure. In this chapter, an overview of UniCarbKB is described, as well as interfaces and workflows available for browsing curated information on glycan structures and accompanying glycoproteins, inclusive of any evidence pertinent to global and site-specific glycosylation. In addition, searches of exact structure, substructure and composition are described. This database is useful for not only glycoscientists but also for a wide range of life science researchers in that it provides an important link between glycans and their attached proteins.

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