MatrixDB
is a freely available database focused on interactions established by
extracellular proteins and polysaccharides. Only few databases report
protein-polysaccharide interactions and to the best of our knowledge,
there is no other interaction database focused
on the extracellular matrix. Furthermore, MatrixDB takes into account
the multimeric nature
of the extracellular proteins (e.g. collagens, laminins and
thrombospondins are multimers).
This is a concern when molecules are heterotrimeric and/or when the
multimerization process
modifies the molecular recognition properties. MatrixDB reports
interaction with individual
polypeptide chains or with multimers (permanent complexes) when
appropriate.
Data stored in MatrixDB include experimental data from our laboratory, data extracted from the literature
by manual curation, data exchanged with IMEx databases (IntAct, DIP, MINT, and BioGRID databases), and data from the Human Protein Reference Database. Data imported from other databases are restricted to extracellular proteins and their partners.
MatrixDB is an active member of the International Molecular Exchange (IMEx) consortium and has adopted the PSI-MI standards for annotating and exchanging interaction data.
MatrixDB is in charge of the curation of papers published in Matrix Biology since January 2009.