title: Sequence similarity searching using the BLAST family of programs.
abstract: The BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) family of sequence similarity search programs allows users to input either a nucleotide or amino acid query sequence, and search a nucleotide or amino acid sequence database. The program returns a list of the sequence "hits", alignments to the query sequence, and statistical values. This unit describes how to choose an appropriate BLAST program and database, perform the search, and interpret the results.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Wolfsberg
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Madden
mesh_terms: D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods; D016415:Sequence Alignment / Q000379:methods*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000379:methods; D020539:Sequence Analysis, Protein / Q000379:methods; D012984:Software