Nucleotide sequence databases: a gold mine for biologists

The rapid expansion of nucleotide sequence data available in public databases is revolutionizing biomedical research. These databases have a variety of uses, including the discovery of novel genes, identification of homologous genes, analysis of alternative splicing, chromosomal localization of genes, and detection of polymorphisms. Data sets such as the human transcript map will undoubtedly accelerate identification of candidate genes in positional-cloning approaches. Careful in silico analysis can significantly reduce the amount of lab work required. Approximately half of all human genes are represented in these databases; therefore, one need not wait for the entire human genome to be sequenced before performing genome-wide studies.