New features of the Blocks Database servers

Abstract

Blocks are ungapped multiple sequence alignments representing conserved protein regions, and the Blocks Database consists of blocks from documented protein families. World Wide Web (http://www.blocks. fhcrc.org) and Email (blocks@@@blocks.fhcrc.org) servers provide tools for homology searching and for analyzing protein family relationships. New enhancements include a multiple alignment processor that extends the use of these tools to imported multiple alignments of families not present in the database and a PCR primer designer that implements a new strategy for gene isolation.