TISdb: a database for alternative translation initiation in mammalian cells

Proper selection of the translation initiation site (TIS) on mRNAs is crucial for the production of desired protein products. Recent studies using ribosome profiling technology uncovered a surprising variety of potential TIS sites in addition to the annotated start codon. The prevailing alternative translation reshapes the landscape of the proteome in terms of diversity and complexity. To identify the hidden coding potential of the transcriptome in mammalian cells, we developed global translation initiation sequencing (GTI-Seq) that maps genome-wide TIS positions at nearly a single nucleotide resolution. To facilitate studies of alternative translation, we created a database of alternative TIS sites identified from human and mouse cell lines based on multiple GTI-Seq replicates. The TISdb, available a