Mouse liver protein database: a catalog of proteins detected by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

Alterations in the abundance or structure of mouse liver proteins are being studied using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) to build a database of protein changes correlating with exposure to ionizing radiation or toxic chemicals. Thus far, studies have included the analysis of proteins from the offspring of exposed parents or from the exposed individuals themselves. In order to characterize and identify proteins found altered by such exposures, sex- and strain-related differences in protein patterns have been analyzed, and the subcellular locations of a large portion of the mapped proteins have been determined. As part of these studies, data are collected and stored using a variety of computer hardware and software tools that allow the accumulation of information on the origin of samples, gel identification, experiment description, and protein similarities and differences. This accumulation of information constitutes the mouse liver protein database. Relational database software is used to tie the different facets of the database together so that the results of a variety of experiments can be compared and interrelated. The database optimizes the information obtained from 2-DE gel sets by allowing use of the data for many purposes, including monitoring of gel resolution to ensure the collection of high quality data and correlation of protein effects induced by different agents. This first edition of the Argonne National Laboratory mouse liver protein database lays the foundation for future work and communication that should elucidate the significance of observed protein effects as possible markers of exposure to toxic agents.