GO-term analysis interpretation

Question

[schulpen_91]

While analysing GO-terms I'm experiencing (what I assume) a common beginner's problem.

GO-term analysis yielded me the following categories: GO:001647 (vacuolar proton-transporting V-type ATPase complex) and GO:0033572 (transferrin transport). While ATPases can be considered housekeeping proteins, transferrin is not. However, in both of these categories the same putative vacuolar H+-ATPase gene was assigned.

What is the correct way to interpret this result?

[jv]

how are you interpreting this result? Does it makes sense with regards to your experiment?

Answer 1

[Buffo]

GO terms are classified into three main categories, Biological process, Cellular component, and Molecular function. One gene (or protein) has a single function, but that function can be involved in many different GO categories at the same time.

Answer 2

[Mensur Dlakic]

Exactly what Buffo said, but with a couple of additional explanations. GO terms with smaller numbers - biological processes - are broader, while those with larger numbers are more specific (molecular function). It is different layers of information, where many proteins may be part of the same biological process, but ultimately perform specific functions.

For example, it is accurate to say that NFkB is involved in signal transduction, but it is more specific to say that NFkB regulates interleukins.

https://www.ebi.ac.uk/QuickGO/term/GO:0007249

The same is true for your protein. Both GO terms for it are likely accurate, but transferrin transport is more specific of the two annotations.