What does the protein do?
Having identified the sequence, we now want to find out what the protein does in the body, and where.
Armed with its UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot code and/or accession number for the top hit, go to the UniProt database and locate our protein's UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot entry, as follows:
- Enter the UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot code or accession number in the search box at the top right of the page (make sure UniProtKB is selected from the drop-down at the left of the search box) and press Enter. This will give you the annotated entry for the protein.
Don't worry if the biochemistry is totally incomprehensible to you, but if it is, then the following diagram of two molecules may help understand it:
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| Porphobilinogen (C10H14N2O4) | Hydroxymethylbilane (C40H46N4O17) |
Record the following items of information:
- The protein's function
- Any cofactor the protein uses
- The biochemical pathway in which it functions
- Associated disease
- The protein's E.C. (Enzyme Classification) number