LGICdb: a manually curated sequence database after the genomes.

Abstract

Ligand-gated ion channels form transmembrane ionic pores controlled by the binding of chemicals. The LGICdb aims to be a non-redundant, manually curated resource offering access to the large number of subunits composing extracellularly activated ligand-gated ion channels, such as nicotinic, ATP, GABA and glutamate ionotropic receptors. Composed of more than 500 human curated entries, the XML native database has been relocated in 2004 to the EBI. Its facilities have been enhanced with a new search system, customized multiple sequence alignments and manipulation of protein structures (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/compneur-srv/LGICdb/). Despite the vast improvement of general sequence resources, the LGICdb still provide sequences unavailable elsewhere.