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.
