Genome annotation: From sequence to biology

The genome sequence of an organism is an information resource unlike any th at biologists have previously had access to. But the value of the genome is only as good as its annotation. It is the annotation that bridges the gap from the sequence to the biology of the organism. The aim of high-quality a nnotation is to identify the key features of the genome - in particular, th e genes and their products. The tools and resources for annotation are deve loping rapidly, and the scientific community is becoming increasingly relia nt on this information for ail aspects of biological research.