Can sequence predict function?
Algorithm could provide framework for confirmation of protein function
By Cathy Holding

A novel bioinformatics approach for classifying proteins according to
similarity of function, rather than of sequence, is described in the April
12 PNAS. Albert Y. Lau and Daniel I. Chasman of Variagenics say that that
their approach could be used to construct a database that would allow
experimental confirmation of genomic sequences with unknown function. But
other researchers questioned the practical applications of the work and
suggested it was merely an extension of techniques currently used.

Standard methods of prediction of protein function from sequence rely on
either an arbitrary standard-such as a cutoff point at a particular
percentage sequence identity-or on analysis of annotations assigned by other
experimentalists, Chasman told The Scientist.

Read the rest at The Scientist dot com
http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20040416/01

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