Profile Comparison
In 1987 Michael Gribskov, Andrew McLachlan and David Eisenberg introduced the method of profile comparison for identifying distant similarities between proteins. Rather than using a single sequence, profile methods use a multiple sequence alignment to encode a profile which contains information about the conservation level of each residue. These profiles can then be used to search collections of sequences to find sequences that are related. Profiles are also known as Position Specific Scoring Matrices (PSSMs). In 1993 a probabilistic interpretation of profiles was introduced by David Haussler and colleagues using hidden Markov models. These models have become known as profile-HMMs.
In recent years methods have been developed that allow the comparison of profiles directly to each other. These are known as profile-profile comparison methods.
Read more about this topic: Sequence Analysis
Famous quotes containing the words profile and/or comparison:
“Expecting rain, the profile of a day
Wears its soul like a hat....”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“[Girls] study under the paralyzing idea that their acquirements cannot be brought into practical use. They may subserve the purposes of promoting individual domestic pleasure and social enjoyment in conversation, but what are they in comparison with the grand stimulation of independence and self- reliance, of the capability of contributing to the comfort and happiness of those whom they love as their own souls?”
—Sarah M. Grimke (1792–1873)