JavaProtein Dossier ( J PD) is a new concept, database and visualization tool providing one of the largest collections of the physicochemical parameters describing proteins' structure, stability, function and interaction with other macromolecules. By collecting as many descriptors/parameters as possible within a single database, we can achieve a better use of the available data and information. Furthermore, data grouping allows us to generate different parameters with the potential to provide new insights into the sequence-structure-function relationship. In J PD, residue selection can be performed according to multiple criteria. J PD can simultaneously display and analyze all the physicochemical parameters of any pair of structures, using precalculated structural alignments, allowing direct parameter comparison at corresponding amino acid positions among homologous structures. In order to focus on the physicochemical (and consequently pharmacological) profile of proteins, visualization tools (showing the structure and structural parameters) also had to be optimized. Our response to this challenge was the use of Java technology with its exceptional level of interactivity. J PD is freely accessible (within the Gold Sting Suite) at

The Sting Report is a versatile web-based application for extraction and presentation of detailed information about any individual amino acid of a protein structure stored in the STING Database. The extracted information is presented as a series of GIF images and tables, containing the values of up to 125 sequence/structure/ function descriptors/parameters. The GIF images are generated by the Gold STING modules. The HTML page resulting from the STING Report query can be printed and, most importantly, it can be composed and visualized on a computer platform with an elementary configuration. Using the STING Report, a user can generate a collection of customized reports for amino acids of specific interest. Such a collection comes as an ideal match for a demand for the rapid and detailed consultation and documentation of data about structure/function. The inclusion of information generated with STING Report in a research report or even a textbook, allows for the increased density of its contents. STING Report is freely accessible within the Gold STING Suite at

http://sms.cbi.cnptia.embrapa.br/SMS/STINGm/consseq/, http://trantor.bioc.columbia.edu/SMS/STINGm/consseq/, http://mirrors.rcsb.org//SMS/STINGm/consseq/, http://www.es.embnet.org/SMS/STINGm/consseq/ and http://www.ar.embnet.org/SMS/STINGm/consseq/

Background: The integration of many aspects of protein/DNA structure analysis is an important requirement for software products in general area of structural bioinformatics. In fact, there are too few software packages on the internet which can be described as successful in this respect. We might say that what is still missing is publicly available, web based software for interactive analysis of the sequence/ structure/function of proteins and their complexes with DNA and ligands. Some of existing software packages do have certain level of integration and do offer analysis of several structure related parameters, however not to the extent generally demanded by a user.