Rfam

Rfam is a collection of multiple sequence alignments and covariance models representing non-coding RNA families. Rfam is available on the web, and can be searched using a number of different methods, including by family name, by sequence, and by structure. The database is maintained at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI), and is funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Overview

Rfam aims to provide a comprehensive collection of non-coding RNA families, represented by multiple sequence alignments and profile stochastic context-free grammars. The families in Rfam break down into three broad functional classes: Gene; Intron; and Cis-reg. Each family is annotated with a variety of information, including a description of the family, seed alignments of representative sequences, and a covariance model.

History

Rfam was first released in 2003, and has been regularly updated since then. The database is maintained at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI), and is funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Searching Rfam

Rfam can be searched in a number of ways. The most straightforward is to search by family name or by sequence. It is also possible to search by structure, using a graphical interface.

See also

• Non-coding RNA
• RNA structure
• Covariance model
• European Bioinformatics Institute
• Wellcome Trust

External links

• Rfam

Rfam Resources
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