Question

Which of the following is incorrect about Retrieving a Specific Sequence?

(a) It can be difficult to retrieve the sequence of a specific gene or protein simply because of the sheer number of sequences in the Gen-Bank database and the complex problem of indexing them

(b) Other projects may benefit from the availability of better curated and annotated protein sequence databases, but not PIR and SwissProt

(c) For projects that require the most currently available sequences, the NR databases should be searched

(d) The genomic databases can also provide the sequence of a particular gene or protein. Protein sequences in the Genpro database are generated by automatic translation of DNA sequences

I have been asked this question in a job interview.

Query is from Using the Database Access Program ENTREZ in chapter Collecting & Storing Sequences in Laboratory of Bioinformatics

Answer 1

Right answer is (b) Other projects may benefit from the availability of better curated and annotated protein sequence databases, but not PIR and SwissProt

For explanation: Curated and annotated protein sequence databases include PIR and SwissProt. When read from cDNA copies of mRNA sequences, they provide a reliable sequence, given a certain amount of uncertainty as to the translational start site. Many protein sequences are now predicted by translation of genomic sequences, requiring a prediction of exons, a somewhat error-prone step.