tmRDB (tmRNA database)

The tmRNA database (tmRDB) is maintained at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Texas, and accessible on the World Wide Web at the URL http://psyche.uthct.edu/dbs/tmRDB/tmRDB.html. Mirror sites are located at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama (http://www.ag.auburn.edu/mirror/ tm RDB/) and the Institute of Biological Sciences, Aarhus, Denmark (http://www ,bioinf.au.dk/tmRDB/), The tmRDB provides information and citation links ab out tmRNA, a molecule that combines functions of tRNA and mRNA in trans-tra nslation. tmRNA is likely to be present in all bacteria and has been found in algae chloroplasts, the cyanelle of Cyanophora paradoxa and the mitochon drion of the flagellate Reclinomonas americana. This release adds 26 new se quences and corresponding predicted tmRNA-encoded tag peptides for a total of 86 tmRNAs, ordered alphabetically and phylogenetically. Secondary struct ures and three-dimensional models in PDB format for representative molecule s are being made available. tmRNA alignments prove individual base pairs an d are generated manually assisted by computational tools. The alignments wi th their corresponding structural annotation can be obtained in various for mats, including a new column format designed to improve and simplify comput ational usability of the data.