2D PAGE Databases for Proteins in Human Body Fluids

With the development of the Internet, a growing number of proteomics databases have become available. The web is a powerful tool for data integration because it links the components constituting these databases, in general gel images and protein information, while offering rapid means to navigate from one database to another. Unfortunately, with only 15 maps available as electronic resources, the human body fluids do not really benefit from this development. This chapter summarizes the state of the art of proteomics databases, with an emphasis on human body fluids. Insights into one of these databases, SWISS-2DPAGE, available for more than 10 yr now, are given to show current functionalities and usage examples. Some general thoughts are also given on how to improve sharing and publication of proteomics data through electronic media.