September 1, 2006 (Vol. 26, No. 15)
URL:
http://ppdb.tc.cornell.edu
Rating:
Strong Points: Thorough, well organized
Weak Points: None
Summary:
Pop quiz—where do plastids come from? Answer—they’re derived from prokaryotic cells. Of course, we’ve all learned that chloroplasts have their own DNA, but what about nonchloroplast plastids? In some cases, they do as well. Leucoplasts, for example, can contain DNA and their own protein-making machinery. Before you get too excited, recognize that leucoplasts can be derived from the same pro-plastids that give rise to chloroplasts. Whew! Such is the exciting research I performed as a byproduct of reading through this interesting site. PPDB (Plastid Proteome Database) is an online site dedicated to proteomes and comparative proteomes of these interesting plant structures. Highlights include the section entitled Protein Function with a marvelously hierarchically organized collection of information about plastid proteins, replete with hyperlinks, Plastid Sub-Proteomes, and Comparative Proteomics. There is more on these informative pages than I have space for here. Check them out.
