Using molecular databases

Abstract

The vast amount of data on biological systems can make it hard to find a particular piece of information. The power of current Web-based systems helps to access data with great speed. This chapter describes some typical scenarios and provides directions to potential resources. Usually, a standard textbook will be the best starting point. The American Society of Nutritional Sciences provides a Website with brief outlines describing function, sources, and health significance of essential and other nutrients. Further, the Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has recommended a system to categorize enzymes. A four-component enzyme commission numbering system facilitates the reference to a specific group of enzymes. Additionally, one of the best sources of information on genes and genetic syndromes is OMIM, the online version of McKusick's textbook Mendelian Inheritance in Man, currently hosted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the US National Library of Medicine. The National Library of Medicine also provides detailed sequence information and search engines such as BLAST. Sequence data can also be retrieved from the Genome Database (GDB). The database provides information on probes, primers for sequence amplification, and known polymorphisms.