Question

Readseq one of the most popular computer programs written by Don Gilbert at Indiana University used for

• A. Molecular viewer
• B. Molecular file format conversion
• C. Sequence format conversion
• D. Fold and domain recognization

Hint:

Remember "Readseq" as "Read Sequence". Its job is to read a sequence in any format and allow you to save it in another. It's the Swiss Army knife for dealing with the zoo of bioinformatics sequence file formats.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
In bioinformatics, biological sequence data (for DNA, RNA, or proteins) is stored in a wide variety of text-based file formats (e.g., FASTA, GenBank, EMBL, GCG, PHYLIP, etc.). Different analysis programs often require different input formats. Readseq is a classic and widely-used utility program designed to address this issue.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The primary function of the Readseq program is to read a biological sequence file in one format and write it out in another format. It acts as a universal translator for sequence file formats.
Let's look at the options:
Molecular viewer: This is software for viewing 3D structures (e.g., PDB files), like PyMOL or Chimera. Readseq does not do this.
Molecular file format conversion: This is a distractor. "Molecular file" is too general and could imply structural files. Readseq is specifically for sequence files.
Sequence format conversion: This is the exact purpose of Readseq. It handles the conversion between different formats for biological sequences.
Fold and domain recognition: This involves predicting protein structure or identifying functional domains, which requires complex algorithms like those used by BLAST, HMMER, or Phyre2. Readseq is a simpler utility program.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Readseq is a computer program used for biological sequence format conversion.