Re: Ambiguous names. was: Re: URL +1, LSID -1

>>>>> "Alan" == Alan Ruttenberg <alanruttenberg@gmail.com> writes:

  Alan> Well, if I am restricted to using such Uniprot classes I will have
  Alan> trouble representing important scientific findings. If Uniprot only
  Alan> has one name for the two molecules, one of which has a snp that leads
  Alan> to a loss of function that is the initiating factor of a disease, then
  Alan> we have a problem, no? How do we say things about the disease related
  Alan> form?


Make statements against "an isoform of P38228".  


  >> 
  >> If you create identifiers to describe proteins rather than protein
  >> records (like uniprot) then you have created a whole new set of IDs. When
  >> anyone wants to talk about a protein, they will have to look up the ID.

  Alan> As they will when they want to talk about a record. Of course perhaps
  Alan> we all will add some links of the sort that say the record is about
  Alan> some set of classes of proteins, and that aspects of the protein in a
  Alan> class can be described by pieces of the record.

  Alan> But at least we'll know what we are talking about.

The question here is whether you will add to the confusion or decrease it. You
need to put an entire infrastructure in place for providing sane, consistent,
clearly defined names to proteins. I just use swissprot. 


  Alan> But I'm open to discussing suggestions for representing these
  Alan> statements by only making use of the Uniprot records ids, if you have
  Alan> any.

Well, swissprot refers to isoforms I think. Push comes to shove, just use the
sequence. 

Phil







-- 
Phillip Lord,                           Phone: +44 (0) 191 222 7827
Lecturer in Bioinformatics,             Email: phillip.lord@newcastle.ac.uk
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Received on Saturday, 21 July 2007 12:45:43 UTC