Interactive Ribosomal RNA Database

核糖体RNA是生物学中信息量最大、最有用、研究最多的分子之一。生物学家主要以三种方式利用它：(1)作为建立微生物分类学的工具（以及完善和扩展高等生物的分类学）；(2)作为自然种群的系统发育特征，并作为诊断细菌感染的辅助手段；(3)作为研究进化过程的有力途径；(4)作为翻译装置中的功能定义成分。随着可用核糖体RNA数据体的增长，科学家将越来越需要自动化工具来帮助他们存储、管理和分析这些数据。这个项目的目的是通过开发一个综合rna数据管理和分析设施来满足这些需要。具体而言，该项目将需要(a)开发用于输入、操作和维护核糖体RNA序列及相关数据的新一代软件，(b)以一致的格式维护最新的核糖体RNA数据集，(c)使用这些数据继续分析进化关系。(d)整合核糖体序列数据与其他有关核糖体的信息，以及(e)将这些数据和程序分发给研究界。除了满足对核糖体RNA数据感兴趣的研究人员的需求外，该项目还将作为未来系统的原型，这些系统将需要开发来管理目前正在进行的许多基因组研究项目产生的大量序列数据。

Ribosomal RNA is one of the most informative, useful and highly studied molecules in biology. Biologists utilize it in three main ways: (1) as a tool for establishing the systematics of microorganisms (and for refining and extending the systematics of higher organisms); (2) as a phylogenetic characterization of natural populations and as an adjunct to diagnosis of bacterial infections; (3) as a powerful approach to studying the evolutionary process; and (4) in its own right, as the function-defining component(s) in the translation apparatus. As the body of available ribosomal RNA data grows, scientists will increasingly require automated tools to help them store, manage, and analyze these data. This project is aimed at meeting those needs through the development of an integrated rRNA data management and analysis facility. Specifically, the project will entail (a) developing of a new generation of software for entering, manipulating, and maintaining ribosomal RNA sequences and related data, (b) maintaining an up-to-date collection of ribosomal RNA data in an aligned format, (c) using these data for continued analysis of evolutionary relationships, (d) integrating ribosomal sequence data with other information concerning the ribosome, and (e) distributing these data and programs to the research community. In addition to meeting the needs of researchers interested in ribosomal RNA data, this project will serve as a prototype for future systems that will need to be developed to manage the large collections of sequence data that will result from the many genome research projects currently underway.