PDBe tools for an in-depth analysis of small molecules in the Protein Data Bank

Abstract

The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is the primary global repository for experimentally determined 3D structures of biological macromolecules and their complexes with ligands, proteins, and nucleic acids. PDB contains over 47,000 unique small molecules bound to the macromolecules. Despite the extensive data available, the complexity of small molecule data in the PDB necessitates specialised tools for effective analysis and visualisation. PDBe has developed a number of tools, including PDBe CCDUtils (https://github.com/PDBeurope/ccdutils) for accessing and enriching ligand data, PDBe Arpeggio (https://github.com/PDBeurope/arpeggio) for analysing interactions between ligands and macromolecules, and PDBe RelLig (https://github.com/PDBeurope/rellig) for identifying the functional roles of ligands (such as reactants, cofactors, or drug-like molecules) within protein-ligand complexes. Furthermore, the enhanced ligand annotations and data generated by these tools are presented in a comprehensive view on the novel PDBe-KB ligand pages, providing a holistic view of small molecules that enables the establishment of their biological contexts (Example page for Imatinib: https://wwwdev.ebi.ac.uk/pdbe-srv/pdbechem/chemicalCompound/show/STI). By improving the standardisation of ligand identification, adding various annotations, and offering advanced visualisation capabilities, these tools help researchers navigate the complexities of small molecules and their roles in biological systems, facilitating mechanistic understanding of biological functions. The ongoing enhancements to these resources are designed to support the scientific community in gaining valuable insights into ligands and their applications across various fields, including drug discovery, molecular biology, systems biology, structural biology, and pharmacology.