April 1, 2007 (Vol. 27, No. 7)
URL:
http://biobases.ibch.poznan.pl/ncRNA
Rating:
Strong Points: Database content
Weak Points: Interface and description issues
Summary:
Noncoding RNA is a surprisingly large component of RNA. Consider the ribosomal RNAs, the tRNAs, the miRNAs, the snRNAs, and others. The noncoding RNA database aims to serve researchers interested in these molecules. With over 30,000 individual sequences from 99 species of bacteria, archaea, and eukaryote, it is well positioned to do so. Data can be retrieved from the database by searching, BLASTing, browsing, and downloading. Search options include entering a transcript symbol, accession number, or organism name. I’d like to see more descriptions, especially for a site with as much information as this one. The section with links is relatively small, but each one is relevant. I found a couple of useful sites from it. Improvements are needed, but this is a good first step.
