BLAST & Databases — Quiz

Sample Answer: A database for DNA, RNA, and proteins is a specialized repository that stores biological information related to these essential molecules. These databases organize and provide access to sequences, structures, functions, and interactions of nucleic acids and proteins. Key databases include GenBank (NCBI), UniProt, SILVA, UNITE, and RNAcentral. They are invaluable for researchers performing sequence comparisons, functional annotation, and evolutionary studies.

Sample Answer: NCBI provides several powerful tools: (1) BLAST — Basic Local Alignment Search Tool for comparing sequences against databases to find similar sequences; (2) GenBank — the primary sequence database for storing and retrieving nucleotide sequences; (3) PubMed — a literature database for searching biomedical research articles; (4) Primer-BLAST — for designing primers specific to a target sequence; (5) Taxonomy Browser — for exploring organism classification and nomenclature; (6) SRA (Sequence Read Archive) — for storing raw sequencing data from high-throughput platforms.