DELPHI: A pattern-based method for detecting sequence similarity

Abstract

We describe DELPHI, a new computational tool for identifying sequence similarity between a query sequence and a database of proteins. Use is made of a set of patterns obtained from the underlying database through a one-time computation. The patterns are subsequently matched against every query sequence presented to the system. A pattern matched by a region of the query pinpoints a potential local similarity between that region and all of the database sequences also matching that pattern. In a final step, all such local similarities are examined more closely by aligning and scoring the corresponding query and database regions. By prudently choosing a set of patterns, the method can be used to discover weak but biologically important similarities. We provide a number of examples using both classified and unclassified proteins that corroborate this claim.

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IBM Journal of Research and Development

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