Web-Based Design of Peptide Microarrays Using μPepArray Pro

: Peptide microarrays (peptide arrays) have increasingly become an important research tool for studying protein detection, profiling, and protein-protein interactions, and they have the potential to foster high-throughput protein analysis as DNA arrays did for genomics research a decade ago. Recently, technologies have emerged that allow flexible synthesis of high-density peptide arrays based on specific application needs (e.g., phosphopeptide microarrays). To fully unleash the power of this promising research tool, significant efforts are required to develop computational and informatics resources that facilitate the experimental design and data analysis for a wide range of peptide array-based applications. The design of peptide arrays is inherently more complex than that of DNA arrays. We herein introduce microPepArray Pro, a Web-based general-purpose peptide array design program. microPepArray Pro features strong content design capabilities and maximized user control. The program suits the needs of a diversity of design tasks, works with a variety of peptide array configurations, and is highly expandable: new functionalities can be developed and added to microPepArray Pro with relative ease.