SEQUENCE DATABASES AND HOMOLOGY SEARCHING USING WORLD-WIDE-WEB

RNA, DNA and protein sequence data produced in laboratories around the world may be freely accessed by other scientists using the Internet, Originally, these sequence databases were compiled from published lite rature, but now researchers may deposit sequence data directly, using the World Wide Web, Almost 50 000 protein sequences and over 600 000 n ucleotide sequences are available, forming a significant scientific re source, By comparing novel sequence data with sequence entries and str uctural data showing significant homology, it is possible to predict t he function and three-dimensional structure of novel proteins.