Question

Which of the following is untrue regarding dynamic programming algorithm?

(a) The method compares every pair of characters in the two sequences and generates an alignment

(b) The output alignment will include matched and mismatched characters and gaps in the two sequences that are positioned so that the number of matches between identical or related characters is the maximum possible

(c) The dynamic programming algorithm provides a reliable computational method for aligning DNA and protein sequences

(d) This doesn’t allow making evolutionary predictions on the basis of sequence alignments

The question was posed to me in class test.

Query is from Dynamic Programming Algorithm for Sequence Alignment in chapter Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics

Answer 1

Correct choice is (d) This doesn’t allow making evolutionary predictions on the basis of sequence alignments

Explanation: Optimal alignments provide useful information to biologists concerning sequence relationships by giving the best possible information as to which characters in a sequence should be in the same column in an alignment, and which are insertions in one of the sequences (or deletions on the other). This information is important for making functional, structural, and evolutionary predictions on the basis of sequence alignments.