Question

Which of the following is untrue about Needleman-Wunsch algorithm?

(a) It is an example of dynamic programming

(b) Basic idea here is to build up the best alignment by using optimal alignments of larger subsequences

(c) It was first used by Saul Needleman and Christian Wunsch

(d) It was first used in 1970

This question was posed to me during an online interview.

Query is from Needleman topic in section Multiple Sequence Alignment of Bioinformatics

Answer 1

The correct option is (b) Basic idea here is to build up the best alignment by using optimal alignments of larger subsequences

The explanation: In case of Needleman-Wunsch algorithm, the basic idea here is to build up the best alignment by using optimal alignments of smaller subsequences. It is based on dynamic programming, a discipline invented by Richard Bellman in 1953.