Genes (and proteins) in the bank.Genes (and proteins) in the bank Improvements are being made in the computer programs used to compare the sequences of the components that make up proteins and DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. , decreasing both the time and computer memory required to search for similarities, reports William R. Pearson of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He and his colleagues have devised new methods to compare proteins or genes analyzed by different laboratories and entered into computerized data banks. For example, he says, with an IBM PC A PC made by IBM. IBM created the PC industry in 1981 when it introduced its first model with 16KB of RAM. However, it was way off in its estimates, projecting that 250,000 units would be sold in the first five years. In fact, about three million IBM PCs were sold in that period. microcomputer, DNA sequences DNA sequence Genetics The precise order of bases–A,T,G,C–in a segment of DNA, gene, chromosome, or an entire genome. See Base pair, Base sequence analysis, Chromosome, Gene, Genome. totaling 4 million nucleotides can now be searched for a given sequence in less than an hour. And a protein data bank containing 700,000 amino acids amino acid (əmē`nō), any one of a class of simple organic compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and in certain cases sulfur. These compounds are the building blocks of proteins. can be searched in less than 10 minutes. "Computer analysis of DNA and protein sequences has become increasingly important as our ability to clone and sequence genes has outstripped our ability to identify their functions," he says. |
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