PyFuncover: full proteome search for a specific function using BLAST and PFAM

Abstract

Python Function uncover (PyFuncover) is a new bioinformatic tool able to search proteins with a specific function in a full proteome. The pipeline coded in python uses BLAST alignment and the sequences from a PFAM family as the search seed. We tested PyFuncover using the fatty acid-binding family (FABP) Lipocalin_7 from PFAM (version 32, 2019) against the Homo sapiens NCBI proteome. After applying the scoring function in all the BLAST results, the data were classified and submitted to a GO-TERM analysis using bioDBnet. Analyses showed that all families of FABPs were ranked within the top scores. Included within this category were also families able to bind to hydrophobic molecules similar to fatty acids such as the retinol acid transporter and the cellular retinoic acid-binding protein.