Question

Which of the following is not a variant of BLAST?

• A. BLASTX
• B. TBLASTNX
• C. BLASTP
• D. BLASTN

Hint:

• Common BLAST programs:
  • blastn Nucleotide query vs. nucleotide database.
  • blastp Protein query vs. protein database.
  • blastx Translated nucleotide query vs. protein database.
  • tblastn Protein query vs. translated nucleotide database.
  • tblastx Translated nucleotide query vs. translated nucleotide database.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

In the context of bioinformatics, BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) is widely utilized for comparing nucleotide or protein sequences against sequence databases. It has several variants, each serving specific functions:

• BLASTX: This variant translates a nucleotide query sequence in all six reading frames and compares the resulting protein sequences against a protein database.
• BLASTP: This variant is used for comparing an amino acid query sequence against a protein database.
• BLASTN: This variant is used for comparing a nucleotide query sequence against a nucleotide database.

The option "TBLASTNX" is not a recognized variant within the BLAST suite. Therefore, the correct answer is TBLASTNX.