Biological databases provide essential information about molecular biology. Some key databases discussed include:
- Sequence databases like GenBank, UniProt, and Pfam that contain nucleotide and protein sequences along with functional annotations. These databases also provide tools for analysis.
- Structure databases like the Protein Data Bank (PDB) store 3D protein structures. Other structure databases that classify protein domains include CATH and SCOP.
- Databases should be well-structured, indexed, periodically updated, cross-referenced with other databases, and provide tools for analysis and visualization of data. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) hosts many comprehensive biological databases.