SCORPION, a molecular database of scorpion toxins

Increasing interest in the studies of toxins and the requirements for bette r structural and functional annotations have created a need for improved da ta management in the field of toxins. The molecular database, SCORPION, con tains more than 200 entries of fully referenced scorpion toxin data includi ng primary sequences, three-dimensional structures, structural and function al annotations of scorpion toxins along with relevant literature references . SCORPION has a set of search tools that allow users to extract data and p erform specific queries. These entries have been compiled from public datab ases and literature, cleaned of errors and enriched with additional structu ral and functional information. The grouping of scorpion toxins provides a basis for extending and clarifying the existing structural and functional c lassifications. The bioinformatics modules in SCORPION facilitate analyses aimed at classification of scorpion toxins and identification of sequence p atterns associated with specific structural or functional properties of sco rpion toxins. The SCORPION database is accessible via the Internet at sdme. krdl.org.sg:8080/scorpion. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserv ed.