title: A test for the statistical significance of DNA sequence similarities for application in databank searches.
abstract: A method is developed, based on word-searching, which provides a rapid test for the statistical significance of DNA sequence similarities for use in databank searching. The method makes allowance for the lengths and dinucleotide compositions of the sequences being compared. A way is also described to calculate the power of the test, i.e. the probability of detecting a given similarity as being statistically significant. The effects on the power of the test of the scoring method, word length, sequence length, and sequence composition are examined. A novel scoring method is shown to be superior to the method currently used in most word-searching algorithms.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Mathematical Biology, National Institute for Medical Research, London, UK.
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Mott
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Kirkwood
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Curnow
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D005914:Globins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007256:Information Systems; D008390:Markov Chains; D008432:Mathematical Computing; D009716:Numerical Analysis, Computer-Assisted; D011336:Probability; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D005914:Globins