International Cooperation Among Protein Sequence Data Banks

Abstract

Through the efforts of the Task Group on Coordination of Protein Sequence Data Banks within CODATA (Comittee for Data in Science and Technology of the International Council of Scientific Unions), a worldwide network for the collection and distribution of protein sequence data has been established. This Task Group has been instrumental in coordinating the activities of the major protein sequence databases and other related informational resources and in mapping out the future requirements and goals of these data centers. At the annual meeting of the Task Group held at the CODATA office in Paris, February 19–24, the International Association of Protein Sequence Data Banks (“PIR-International”) was formed. The primary goal of this association is to coordinate the efforts of the major protein sequence data collection centers and to establish a single fully comprehensive protein sequence database. The participating members include the Protein Identification Resource (PIR) at the National Biomedical Research Foundation at the Georgetown University in Washington D.C., directed by Dr. W.C. Barker; the Japan International Protein Information Database (JIPID), located at the Science University of Tokyo at Noda City and directed by Prof. A. Tsugita; and the Martinsried Institute for Protein Sequences (MIPS) at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Martinsried FRG and directed by Dr. H.-W. Mewes.