Skretas lab introduces ProteoSeeker: A Novel Tool Accelerating Protein Discovery Through Accessible Metagenomic Analysis.
Researchers from Skretas lab have developed ProteoSeeker, a new bioinformatics tool poised to accelerate protein discovery by making comprehensive metagenomic analysis more accessible and efficient. This freely available command-line tool empowers both expert and non-expert users to unlock the vast potential of microbial diversity for biotechnological innovation.
ProteoSeeker streamlines the identification and annotation of proteins from metagenomic data, operating in two key modes: a "Seek" mode for targeted screening of proteins based on user-defined families, and a "Taxonomy" mode for uncovering the taxonomic origins of host organisms. By automating critical steps in the analysis pipeline, ProteoSeeker significantly reduces computational complexity and enables rapid, comprehensive analysis with minimal computational resources.
The tool's effectiveness has been demonstrated through the discovery of extremophilic enzymes with desired biochemical features, such as CA-KR1, a state-of-the-art carbonic anhydrase for CO2 capture applications. This highlights ProteoSeeker's potential to identify novel biocatalysts for a wide range of industrial and environmental applications.
ProteoSeeker is publicly available on GitHub and as a Docker image, accompanied by comprehensive documentation and installation guides. ProteoSeeker is anticipated to become an indispensable resource for researchers seeking to unlock the functional potential of metagenomic data and accelerate the discovery of novel proteins for diverse biotechnological applications.
Authors: Georgios Filis, Dimitra Bezantakou, Konstantinos Rigkos, Despina Noti, Pavlos Saridis, Dimitra Zarafeta* and Georgios Skretas*
Research Article in Advanced Science: https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202414877
ProteoSeeker website: https://skretaslab.gr/proteoseeker/